Organizing Centre for Social and Economic Justice: Fundraiser

SUNDAY OCTOBER 30th: Capitalism is Scary! A Halloween and 5 Year Anniversary Fundraising Dinner for the Organizing Centre

Heritage Hall (3102 Main Street)
Doors Open at 6:30pm * Dinner at 7:00pm * Live music starts at 8:00pm

Do privatization and corporate bail-outs make your hair stand on end? Do you think Stephen Harper is spooky? Join us on the evening of Sunday, October 30th and enjoy an excellent dinner, followed by live (and lively!) local music. Costumes are encouraged!

This is also a chance to support the Organizing Centre for Social and Economic Justice as we come up to our fifth anniversary at our Broadway and Main location. We can hardly believe it's been that long, but we did the math and it's true! That's five years of building local grassroots working class movement and international solidarity. Please come celebrate with us and help make our next five years possible!

This is an accessible space (front door is street level with no stairs and is large enough to allow a wheelchair, and the bathroom is wheelchair accessible).

The Organizing Centre is home to the Alliance for People's Health, the Food Action Collective, Workers Across Borders, and People's Health Radio. You can find out more at http://organizingcentre.wordpress.com

Tickets:
* $25 Single Ticket (kids under twelve eat free)
* $40 Sponsor (one ticket and your name in program)
Solidarity sponsorship is available at $320 and includes reserved table (8 seats), name on table and name in program.

Please contact Jen at organizingcentre@gmail.com or call 604-566-4745 to purchase tickets. Tickets must be purchased in advance; we will not be selling tickets at the door.

Volunteers:
We love volunteers! We are in fact a volunteer-run centre. If you are interested in helping out at the fundraiser we would love to hear from you. Please email Jen at organizingcentre@gmail.com

Vandals at Work: Call for Volunteers

Work on the newly repaired and revitalized Berry Trail mural has just been completed and vandals are already working to destroy it.

If we don't take immediate action, there will be a perceived incentive for vandals to continue to deface and disrespect this work which so many of us have worked hard to create together.

Due to the nature of the situation this is very short notice, but we are asking for any available volunteers to help apply an additional (anti-graffiti) protective coating to the Berry Trail mural on MON OCT17 and/or TUE OCT18, 10-12AM as the graffiti will have been removed & repaired by that time.

For more information, contact Rosanne.

Homeless Action Week: Community Meal and Ideas Gathering

Colourful harvest meal made with love at the UBC Aboriginal Kitchen Garden for 2011's sockeye salmon celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This year Thanksgiving coincides with Homeless Action Week and we want your thoughts on how best to work on homelessness in our community of Renfrew-Collingwood.

We will be hosting a community meal and ideas gathering:

Saturday, October 15th
8am and 9am sittings
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce St.

If you would like to attend or volunteer please contact Peter Greenwell or leave a message at 604-435-0323.

This event is sponsored by the Renfrew-Collingwood Homeless Commitee and our partners at Collingwood Community Policing Centre, Evergreen Health Centre, Renfrew Park Community Centre, Collingwood Neighbourhood House, and the City of Vancouver.

Other Ways to Help Out

This holiday weekend, remember to think of those who are in need and, if you can, help put food on the tables of those less fortunate. Want to know how else you can help out?

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank supports the work of non-profit agencies (including the Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute!). They are always looking for volunteers to lend a hand, as well as donations of food items or money. They're currently in great need of the following items:

•Canned meat and fish
•Whole wheat pasta and rice
•Canned fruit and vegetables

You can drop off these items at most chain grocery stores in your neighbourhood, or at the food bank directly at 1150 Raymur Avenue.

Meanwhile, please enjoy this highlight reel from Sesame Street's upcoming prime time special on childhood hunger in the US...and have a wonderful weekend!

Food for All: A Conference on Poverty and Global Food Security

Saturday, October 15 2011
8:30am-5pm
Hebb Theatre
2045 East Mall

What do we need to know about global food security and poverty? What are some of the solutions the international community should be pursuing and how can one person make a difference?

To mark World Food Day and the International Day for the Eradication of poverty, the B.C. Council for International Cooperation’s Working Group to End Global Poverty presents Food for All: A Conference on Poverty and Global Food Security. The conference will explore these questions and more. An exciting line-up of speakers deliver short, engaging talks, followed by interactive workshops that link global poverty and food justice issues with local concerns and create an environment to come up with a plan of action that can be carried forward to affect real change.

This will be a great networking opportunity – a variety of organizations will be on hand to provide information about career and volunteer opportunities. The one-day event for is geared towards youth 16-30, but anyone with an interest in food security and global poverty is encouraged to attend.

Click here to register.

New Canning Schedule and Mural Revitalization

Giving peas a chance at September's community kitchen.

Fall is officially here! The Horley Orchard is nearly complete, construction of the Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden is almost set to begin, eleven new fruit trees have been planted in Gaston Park, and jars and jars of pickles, salsa, chutney, and jam have been preserved for the winter.

Photos of these happenings (and more) are soon to come. Meanwhile, check out our canning workshop schedule and if you live or work in Renfrew-Collingwood, sign up today!

Daikon (radish) kimchi
Wed. October 19 5:30-8:30pm

Community kitchen
Wed. October 26 5-8:30pm

Spiced pears in syrup
Wed. November 9 5:30-8:30

Cinnamon-spiked apples in syrup
Wed. November 23 5:30-8:30pm

Community kitchen
Wed. November 30 5-8:30pm

Pickles (Vietnamese and Western)
Wed. December 7 5:30-8:30

Cranberry ketchup and cranberry chutney
Sun. December 11 1-4pm

Mural Revitalization

Five years ago, local artists teamed up with community gardeners to revitalize the area near Joyce Skytrain Station. In an effort to increase safety around the station, community members founded Collingwood Community Gardens and planted the Native Berry Trail.

These food growing projects were accompanied by two lush community murals--the Berry Trail mural by Jerry Whitehead, and the Fruit and Veggie mural by Jon Wright. Over the years, the murals have been repeatedly vandalized and nearly destroyed.

With funding from the Vancouver Park Board's Neighbourhood Matching Fund and the support of 104 volunteers, the murals have been restored to look new again. Please enjoy this video which tells the story of the restoration project.