Metro Community Fundraising Campaign
Since 2008, Metro Community has been committed to the practical support of hundreds of the most vulnerable people in our city. Metro is a vibrant community made up of people from all walks of life and is a place where people find acceptance and belonging. We recently received notice that the generous provincial grant that we rely on to provide our ‘Metro Services’ is being discontinued in every municipality in BC. For us, this $700,000 grant represents 83% of our annual funding, creating a massive impact on our work with the many who rely heavily on the important services we provide throughout the week.
It is in this moment that we need to come together in solidarity and rally behind those who are most vulnerable in our community.
metro church
Metro is such a wonderful place because it is a community. Our church family is vibrant and creates a place of real belonging and support for people of all walks of life. Many in our church family volunteer in our daily Metro Services. In fact, for every paid staff member we have 4 to 8 volunteers! This strong volunteer-based model allows us to provide an incredible service at a fraction of the cost.
hygiene program
Our hygiene program creates real belonging and restores dignity. Our street community signs up for a membership which enables our members to have a sense of safety and ownership. Membership gives you access to showers, laundry, personal hygiene products, wound care, ID service, hair cuts, case workers, and much more. Since the inception of this program two years ago, we have welcomed 700 unhoused members and offer 500 showers a month and 270 loads of laundry.
metro cafe
Our drop-in center is a safe space where people can belong and experience real community. We cater to immediate needs while focusing on creating relationships and belonging. We serve breakfast, lunch, and take-away meals to an average of 150 people a day. The cafe is also a place where people can use the washroom, charge their devices, and escape from the elements.
what now?
what now?
We consider it an incredible honour and a huge responsibility to support and love our street community. In order to meet this challenge that we are facing, we will need to all come together to create something beautiful. Would you consider joining us in this? We have restructured Metro Services to utilize as many volunteers and efficiencies as possible while dealing with the ever-increasing needs of our street community. We have brought the total cost of operating Metro Services down to $468,000 a year, and we are confident that we can continue to offer this incredible service to our city if we all come together!
