Member Spotlight: Meet Bill B.

 Bill was introduced to the Neighbourhood House through our Community Drop-In lunches. After growing up in Alberta, he found himself stuck in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. Finding healthy food options in the community was difficult, so he was excited to access the nutritious foods made in our space. Once Bill got to know the Neighbourhood House staff, he began volunteering to give back to his community. 

After two years of volunteering, an employed position became available, and many of the staff encouraged Bill to apply. He had always enjoyed the cooking, but hadn’t considered applying as he didn’t believe the job was in his area of expertise. He applied anyway and soon after, he was working at the Neighbourhood House. Eleven years later, Bill continues to provide nutritious meals for the community.

Recently, Bill has been organizing our Saturday meals. In addition to providing our morning oatmeal service, Bill also organizes the making of 200 hot lunches. 100 of these meals are distributed from the Neighbourhood House space while the other 100 are sent to Strathcona Park with the help of the Portland House Society and Carnegie Community Action Project. Bill’s meals are always inventive, and he gets inspiration from the available ingredients we have in the Neighbourhood House to quickly come up with meal ideas. This ability grew from necessity in the past where he had to learn how to cook with limited resources.

Bill’s favourite part about being involved with the Neighbourhood House is the ability to meet people from all different backgrounds. He also greatly enjoys cooking for others. His involvement in the Downtown Eastside community goes far beyond cooking however, as he helps individuals with a multitude of repairs, involves himself in church groups, and overall, tries to make life better for those around him. 

This holiday season, Bill is planning to make 1000 Christmas dinners for the Downtown Eastside. He hopes this project will help lift spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic as many organizations may avoid the area in worries of spreading the virus. The project will be spanned over four locations: the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, Aboriginal Front Door, Jacobs Well, and Street Church. Tents will be set up and the hot meals will be distributed. This project will inevitably spread joy in the community. If you would like to support Bill with the project, please reach out to him at bbeauregarde@gmail.com. Donations, particularly turkey pieces, are still needed. 

To see Bill’s dedication to his role in action, watch the following video made in collaboration with fellow staff member Erin for PTC Theatre: