A Better Life Foundation

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A Better Life Foundation

Founded in 2012, ABLF seeks to alleviate food insecurity and other barriers to well-being in the DTES

A Better Life Foundation (ABLF) supports people in need by raising critical funds for food security to women, children, and those in assisted living as well as provide job training and employment opportunities for the community at large. By looking for and working towards sustainable solutions, ABLF aims to contribute towards meaningful change.

03/17/2026

There was so much to celebrate this past Saturday.

Most importantly, we had the honour of celebrating a major milestone with our Community Ambassador, Jacob, on his one year of sobriety. We are incredibly proud of Jacob, the journey he has been on, and the hard decisions and deep commitment that got him here.

We first met Jacob about six months ago when he joined us as a guest, and we connected with him right away. Not long after, he reached out and asked how he could become more involved as a volunteer.

Shortly after that, he enrolled in our Work Experience Opportunities Grant program, administered through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and United Way. By the time that opportunity came to a close, it was obvious to all of us that Jacob had become essential. We were proud to keep him on as a permanent member of our team.

And he's been absolutely killing it since. A friendly face ensuring folks know when the next Plenty of Plates is and that same smile greeting them when they arrive.

A HUGE thank you to BCLC and the Vancouver Canucks for creating such a special opportunity to celebrate Jacob, alongside some of his teammates, at their aptly themed Community Heroes Night. It was a beautiful evening that recognized the incredible work being done by community leaders, organizations, and partners across our city. We were proud to be included among them.

For some members of our team, this was their first time ever attending a hockey game, let alone being hosted in a VIP suite with some of the best seats in the house. It was a night to remember. While the scoreboard may not have reflected the outcome we were all hoping for, the evening was full of pride, connection, and community - with a healthy dose of fun!

We are deeply grateful to both BCLC and the Vancouver Canucks, not only for hosting such a meaningful night, but for the genuine partnership they have shown over the last year. From hosting multiple Plenty of Plates events, to collaborating on Nourish the Neighbourhood, to helping bring an ambitious large-scale community meal to life right at Rogers Arena, they have continued to show up.

We are incredibly proud of Jacob and of our whole team. Opportunities like this mean a lot. They give our staff a chance to step out of the kitchen, be celebrated, build deeper connections with one another, and feel the care and appreciation they so deeply deserve.

Thank you again to BCLC and the Vancouver Canucks for making the night a memorable one. And a big shout out to all of the other community partners, friends, peers, and allies we were lucky enough to celebrate alongside.

09/17/2025

The Downtown Eastside is a colourful, charming community full of life and personality.

Plenty of Plates is a warm and comforting conduit between communities, where volunteers and guests connect and celebrate their unifying similarities and their unique differences.

Our friend Ish*ta has been volunteering as part of a program with UBC Sauder's MBA cohort and sitting down with Plenty of Plates guests to learn more about them and their stories. She beautifully articulated her conversations into these words.
With abundant respect for the privacy and dignity of our guests we have changed the names of these guests and used general photos from our events.

Enjoy!

09/12/2025

Since Day One we’ve made sure our staff represent the community we serve. Real, inclusive hiring is a load bearing pillar of ABLF and fundamental to how we show up for the community - and how they return the favour and show up for us. We’re very excited that through the generosity of the Province of BC & United Way BC we’re able to offer 10 work experience positions.

We’re looking for candidates for the following roles:

1. Recovery Kitchen Assistant - Food preparation, packaging meals, light labour. Sorting rescued food donations and helping reduce waste.

2. Indigenous Food Program Assistant - Assist with preparing culturally relevant meals. Learn about Indigenous traditions, ingredients, and cooking methods.

3. Plenty of Plates Community Ambassador - Be the welcoming face of our community dinners.Greet guests and distribute tickets.

Beyond 200 hours of paid work experience @ $20/hour, we’re also offering:

- Training and certifications (FoodSafe, WHMIS, First Aid, as necessary etc.) to build your resume.
- Transit and equipment costs
- Food - plenty of delicious meals on site and that you can take home
- A warm, patient and compassionate workplace

That's just the start. As you progress through the program, we’ll be working with our partners SpencerCreo Foundation & to help with connection, wrap around supports and introductions to permanent hospitality employers to seed the start of a new career.

To qualify candidates must receive one of the following:
BC Employment Assistance (BCEA), Disability Assistance (PWD), Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers (PPMB), Hardship Assistance, or Indigenous-administered or federal equivalents.

Hiring is step one - but creating an environment that enables folks from all walks of life to thrive is the real work and we’re honoured to use our work and our space to create jobs that don’t just create economic opportunities, but change the trajectory of people’s lives.

For more information and full job descriptions, please visit our website and look under the Get Involved tab. Please feel free to share this post widely.

09/09/2025

Our team does great things - and that very much includes our fantastic volunteers.
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This summer, we carried on tradition and hosted our incredible crew for a summer BBQ filled with appreciation, love, laughter, and meaningful conversations over the work that brings us all together - food equity & community. ⁠
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Year over year, every metric is growing - more meals, more meaningful events - more opportunities to celebrate our community. It simply wouldn't be possible without this incredible roster of volunteers who continuously show up, love hard, and give harder. ⁠
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We're always looking to add to this crew as our programming grows. At this moment we're looking for a few candidates with a specific skillset.

- A spreadsheet/database wizard - to help us continue to track, optimize and grow our programming
- an illustrator - we believe that we can harness AI in a meaningful way - but not art. And we have some stories we want to tell visually.
- always looking for great leaders to help us facilitate our events in both the Front & Back of House. ESPECIALLY if you can do day time shifts.

We'd love to include you in the appreciation celebrations - to learn more check the volunteer section of our site!

09/05/2025

Back to School, Back to Service.

Every September carries an exciting feeling of a fresh start. New routines, sharpened pencils (they still use those, right?), and the kind of momentum that feels like the year is wide open. For us, we’re excited to meet a whole new batch of excited young faces eager to serve and get to know our community.

Last year we were lucky to work with more student groups than ever!
The kids from Clayton Heights Secondary representing their Global Leadership group prepared and served an incredible three-course lunch - tomato soup with Grilled Cheese Toasties, Spaghetti with Angus Meatballs, and a Chocolate-Banana Parfait. They showed up with joy and left our guests smiling.

Collingwood School brought a brand new group of Grade 7’s each month! Faculty surveyed the students on the bus ride down and many shared they were nervous about the Downtown Eastside or unsure of what to expect. Afterward, their reflections spoke of connection and recognition and the pleasure of seeing themselves in our guests.

As part of their Global Experience program, students from Mulgrave Academy designed and delivered their own Plenty of Plates from beginning to end: menu, budget, outreach, and service. Over four days, they curated, prepared and executed an incredibly thoughtful, top tier Plenty of Plates.

We were also grateful to welcome the young boys from St. James Academy and the incredibly spirited and driven students of North Shore Academy, who brought heart, energy, and a willingness to connect that lifted the whole room.

Each of these schools exemplify what happens when young people step into service. They not only nourish our community - they shift how they see it. What begins with a meal often grows into something much larger: empathy, perspective, and real, genuine connection that will stay with them for a lifetime.

We’re excited to welcome even more young students and teachers to celebrate community over food and service this school year!

08/08/2025

For the 5th year running, we teamed up with our longtime pals at Promise to help youth living in the DTES build confidence in the kitchen through essential cooking skills.

The ability to feed yourself is simple, but it’s powerful. When young people know how to cook, it's not just an essential life skill — they gain independence, self-reliance, and the confidence to provide for themselves. That confidence can ripple into every area of their lives, increasing their chances of success in school, work, and every aspect of the world.

Food is fuel - but it’s also connection. A positive relationship with food can be a defining differentiator in a young person’s development, linking nutrition with culture, social connection, and skill-building.

This year, many of our students were returning campers who have been with us since the very first Chef’s Camp. We’ve seen how past year’s sessions have boosted their confidence, expanded their perspectives, and deepened their relationship with food.

Now, they’re stepping up to guide and encourage newer participants, passing along the skills they’ve learned.

Navigating a kitchen teaches respect, patience, and safety. Working with real, whole, and fresh ingredients helps young people connect healthy eating with deliciousness. And doing it all while having fun makes those lessons stick.

Building stronger communities through food has always been our mission - and we can’t do it without the next generation. Another full week with these young food explorers and we’ve never been more confident our future is in good hands.

Here’s to Year 6!

08/01/2025

Volunteering at Plenty of Plates is centered around generosity, compassion and love.

What often catches our volunteers by surprise is how much of that comes right back. We often receive feedback that volunteers came to give, but end up receiving so much more.

If you’ve ever been to a Plenty of Plates that happened to fall on a guest’s or volunteer's birthday you’ll remember that we LOVE to celebrate!

Recently, a first time volunteer Leslie joined us on her birthday and our guests found out and surprised her by preparing a hand written and decorated card as is tradition, initiating an enthused choir of “Happy Birthday” - replete with cake, a candle and a birthday wish.

Celebrating community is the cornerstone of Plenty of Plates. And it’s always reciprocal.

Leslie said it was one of her best birthdays ever. We’re very happy to report that her heart and soul left full, warm and full of gratitude.

Who doesn’t love a good birthday party?

04/10/2025

Looking for Day Time Available Volunteers

To help with:

Plenty of Plates - Lunch Time Editions - for school groups, helping bridge the divide over food

Chef’s Camp - teaching basic but essential cooking skills

Token Window - direct and in person meal provision

Recovery Kitchen - help our core culinary team make magic out of
ingredients previously destined for the waste stream.

Culinary or hospitality experience is not a prerequisite, but is certainly helpful.

But an optimistic, energetic and collaborative attitude is absolutely a must! You’ll be working directly with students & volunteers, our diverse culinary and programming team and a variety of food insecure folks. You’ll be a part of bringing all of these groups together to celebrate community over food.

10 AM–2 PM shifts. Training & terrific food always provided!

If this sounds like you, please reach out to us at [email protected] or fill out our volunteer interest form on our website to get involved.

Please feel free to share this widely!

04/08/2025

Spring is in the air, blossoms are blooming, and Mother’s Day is just around the corner!

As is tradition, we’ll be honouring the incredible moms and families of the Downtown Eastside with a very special Plenty of Plates — and we’d love for you to join us. Together, we’ll prep, cook, and serve a three-course meal filled with love and care for our community.

We have space for 20 volunteers on Monday, May 13. Come solo, with a partner, or bring the whole family! Plenty of Plates is a hands-on, heart-forward way to connect, learn new kitchen skills, and show up for the moms and families we serve.

If you’ve been curious about PoP but haven’t had a chance to join — or you’ve been before and are looking for the perfect moment to return — this is it. Let’s celebrate the wondrous energy of motherhood and all the amazing moms in our neighbourhood.

Motherhood is so divine. We're proud to create a warm, welcoming space to show our appreciation. Expect a special menu, flowers on the tables, and a few heartfelt surprises to make the evening especially memorable.

Each volunteer spot includes a fundraising goal of $250, which helps support both this event and our ongoing Youth & Family meal program.

To sign up or learn more, reach out to us at [email protected] — we’d love to have you with us.

04/03/2025

Supporting A Better Life Foundation is buying Canadian.

We’ve been taking a good, hard look at our suppliers, the products we purchase and their country of origin. We’re proud to share that 74.78% of our purchasing comes from Canada.

Every Canadian-sourced product is a step toward a more resilient, connected, and sustainable food system that keeps more dollars in our communities.

It’s not just supply chain data — it’s a reflection of our values: local, sustainable, and proudly Canadian.

03/04/2025

**Lasagna Soup – Recovery Kitchen Style!** 🍲✨

Yesterday, our recovery kitchen whipped up a scratch-made **lasagna soup**, almost entirely from donated ingredients. But what *is* a lasagna soup?

Ours is whatever we had on hand! Here’s how we made it:

🔥 Brown ground beef, remove & reserve
🍄 Sear mushrooms, remove & reserve
🧅 Sauté onions, bell peppers, zucchini, remove & reserve
🥕 Sauté celery, carrots, cauliflower (to blend into soup base)
🍅 Blend sautéed veggies with tomatoes & seared mushrooms
🍜 Add broken lasagna noodles to boiling soup base
🥩 Add cooked beef & sautéed veggies
🌿 Stir in greens like kale or spinach
🥣 Adjust to medium nappe with stock as needed
🧀 Top with melty cheeses (asiago, cheddar, parmesan)
🌿 Garnish with fresh or dried basil

Meals went to **WISH, The Budzey, Jeffery Ross, Rainier, Sister Square & Sakura So.** ❤️

02/14/2025

Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ — where we celebrate love in all its beautiful forms; friendship, romance, family, kindness, and community.The Downtown Eastside is full of love, connection and support – yet there’re very few places where love can be honoured and celebrated. Whether it’s a long term committed partners, a brand new romance, mom and daughter, friends sharing a meal —love is love, and it deserves to be celebrated. We’re so proud that our space is a safe, warm and welcoming space for so many people to be together, so often. But each year at this time, we make a special point to really centre love at Plenty of Plates.

The Story of John and Sam:
Eighteen years ago, John was frantically searching through the garbage, desperate to find something he had lost. Amid his scramble, he looked up and saw Sam. At that moment, he told me she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. From that day forward, they’ve been together, sharing their lives in this neighbourhood. Stories like theirs remind us that love thrives in our community. Creating a safe, welcoming space where couples and friends can celebrate that love is very important to us.

This year, we were able to create a heartfelt ’s event thanks to the generosity of our community partners. A huge thank you to for hosting, West 8th for their beautiful donation of flowers and chocolates, and for providing a photobooth that captured the joy of the day. These keepsakes mean the world to our guests—many of whom rarely have the opportunity to take home photos of themselves.

Love isn’t just about one day—it’s about the ongoing support, care, and compassion we show to one another. We’re grateful for the chance to celebrate together and to remind everyone that they are seen, valued, and loved.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!💕

Address

43 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B1G4

Website

http://www.abetterlifefoundation.ca/

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