We are petitioning the Vancouver Park Board and City of Vancouver to identify funding to build the pool by 2026.

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The MPCC Food Security Program was created to address a growing demand for food in our local community. As we grow and evolve, we use these four principles to guide our decision making and inform the program’s development.

• Create a welcoming and low barrier environment to offer dignified, immediate, equitable, and routine access to healthy, quality meals.
• Foster a supportive, inclusive, diverse, and engaged community of staff, patrons, and volunteers to positively impact and serve the community’s most vulnerable.
• Cultivate opportunities for inter-generational community connection and education through food preparation, meal sharing, and volunteering.
• Increase awareness and understanding around various systemic challenges that contribute to food insecurity and homelessness.

Based on these four principles our goals and objectives are to:

• Involve and engage community members and partners to bring awareness to and reduce stigmas around homelessness, mental health, and
  addiction.
• Work to be environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly by reducing food waste, limiting single use and disposal service items, composting and recycling regularly and responsibly, and using second hand items where feasible.
• Build and expand partnerships with various service agencies to provide quality resources and referrals to meet needs outside of our program’s scope and to expand our community’s network.
• Design an operationally sustainable, scalable, and replicable program model. Support, coach, and champion the adoption and expansion of food security programs within our catchment area and across our networks.

The post Mount Pleasant Community Centre Food Security Program appeared first on Mount Pleasant Community Association.

About Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association

Support Inclusive Childcare — One Bid at a Time.

Each year, more children with diverse abilities join our childcare programs, bringing with them unique strengths and needs. In 2025/2026, at least 14 children require additional staffing support to help them thrive — building social-emotional skills, confidence, and meaningful peer relationships.

Your bids make a difference.
Every dollar raised through this auction goes directly toward funding inclusion staff wages, ensuring every child receives the care and supports they deserve.

To Our Donors and Supporters:
We are deeply grateful for your generosity and commitment to creating inclusive spaces where every child can belong and flourish. Your support helps us break down barriers, celebrate diversity, and provide individualized care that makes a lasting impact.

See Auction Here

*NOTE: all items will be for pick-up only at 1 Kingsway (some email vouchers available)

Thank you for standing with us in this mission. Together, we are building a community where every child is valued and included.

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About the Artist – Christine Mackenzie

My name is Christine Mackenzie, and I am from the Kwakiutl Nation. I am a First Nation Artist, Facilitator, and Keynote Speaker. I was born in Kelowna, BC, on the unceded territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people. My mother, a member of the Eagle Clan, was born in Bella Coola, BC, and was part of the Sixties Scoop. Because of this, much of my early life was spent searching for cultural identity and reconnection. I grew up in Richmond, BC, on the unceded territories of the Musqueam and Coast Salish peoples.

My art is inspired by the natural world and by the connections I build with people who are open to learning and sharing cultural knowledge. I work in both traditional and contemporary styles across multiple mediums. While I have been creating art my entire life, I have been a professional artist and facilitator since 2009, mentored by Anastasia Hendry of the Haida Nation, who brought over 30 years of experience as an artist and facilitator.

Today, I dedicate my work to helping others in their own journeys of self-identity, and to educating about Indigenous culture, art, and protocols. I speak from my lived experience and teachings to encourage empathy and understanding when engaging with Indigenous history and culture.

I have collaborated with school districts, non-profits, and youth and family organizations across British Columbia, the Yukon, and northern communities, including Chilliwack, Surrey, Langley, Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Boston Bar, Dease Lake, Telegraph Creek, and Atlin. My work has been featured in five art shows, and I have co-written and illustrated three books. I have also created many commissioned pieces for individuals and organizations.

Some notable projects include:

•  Transit Police: Indigenous logo, orange patch, murals, challenge coin, and contributions to their Truth and Reconciliation strategic plan.
• “My Child”: A Truth and Reconciliation artwork on long-term loan with a non-profit.
• Vancouver Convention Centre: Over 20 custom wood-burnt pallet trees (4–7 ft) as part of holiday installations.
• Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site: Custom
• Vancouver International Children’s Arts Festival: Installation honouring women.
• School of Hope / Paper Birds (UK): Empathy-based arts workshop leading to a short film and documentary.
• TCCAT: Logo and mural project bringing awareness to the overdose crisis.
• Custom Artworks: Glow-in-the-dark drums, carvings, murals, sensory paths, button blankets, and more.

Alongside creating, I provide consultation to individuals and organizations to ensure their initiatives reflect meaningful commitments to Truth and Reconciliation and uphold Indigenous protocols.

Logos

Each logo is uniquely designed to reflect the vision and needs of the organization, non-profit, or business. I work collaboratively through step-by-step consultation, and when incorporating traditional or contemporary formline design, I ensure that proper cultural protocols are followed.

Workshops

I offer workshops for all ages—from preschool to adults—that combine dialogue and art to meet the needs of each group. Every workshop is customized to share Indigenous culture, art, techniques, and protocols in an accessible way. Depending on time and focus, participants may create individual or collaborative art pieces inspired by Northwest Coast formline design, both traditional and contemporary.

Themes and offerings include:

• Indigenous culture, history, and protocols
• Truth and Reconciliation, empathy, and allyship
• Exploring self-identity through art
• Team building and emotional growth
• Residential school history and generational impacts
• Traditional and contemporary art practices: drum making, leatherwork, button blankets, storytelling, graffiti art, installations, sculptures, and more
• Artistic techniques: shading, color blending, perspective, 3D design, comic layout, and texture

Workshops are adaptable to school curriculum and can connect to storytelling, science, social studies, art, and math. Programs are available for K–12, post-secondary, and professional development sessions. All workshops are quote-based, with materials included depending on the chosen activities.

Artist’s Statement

Art and culture speak where words cannot. As an Indigenous artist and facilitator, I use my work to create spaces where dialogue and creativity meet, and where empathy and understanding can grow. My practice is not only about artmaking—it is about Truth and Reconciliation, decolonization, and building bridges of respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

Truth and Reconciliation is more than an acknowledgment; it is active work. Through art and facilitated dialogue, I provide opportunities for people to reflect on history and its ongoing impacts on Indigenous communities. By exploring difficult truths together, we create room for healing and understanding.

Decolonization, for me, is about reclaiming Indigenous knowledge, practices, and voices while also inviting others to reflect on the systems and assumptions they carry. In my workshops and art projects, I create culturally safe spaces where participants can learn respectfully, challenge their perspectives, and honour Indigenous teachings without appropriation.

Safe spaces are at the heart of my work. Safety comes not only from respect, but also from knowledge—understanding cultural protocols, practicing empathy, and recognizing the importance of equity over equality. Equality offers everyone the same resources, but equity recognizes that people start from different places and may need different supports in order to thrive. This perspective is vital when working with Indigenous communities, where generational trauma and systemic barriers continue to shape experiences.

My goal is to empower participants with tools to better understand Indigenous culture and history, while also applying these lessons to their own lives and communities. By blending traditional and contemporary art practices, I help people connect to their own self-identity, while also learning how to be allies and advocates for change.

Art can transform. It can carry truths, hold grief, inspire joy, and spark reconciliation. My work seeks to honour the resilience of Indigenous peoples, uplift voices that were silenced, and create pathways for all people to walk together in respect, responsibility, and shared humanity.

Acknowledgement

As a Kwakiutl artist working outside of my Nation’s territory, I acknowledge with respect that I live and work on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Qiqéyt (Key-Kayt), Coast Salish, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking Musqueam peoples. My family comes from Bella Coola, and I raise my paddle in respect for the territories I visit.

I encourage everyone to learn about the Nations whose lands they live on, as each Nation has its own unique history, teachings, and protocols. Honouring Truth and Reconciliation is a responsibility we all share. It is a privilege to live, work, and learn on these ancestral lands, and as Indigenous people, it is our role to protect them and carry our teachings forward.

Final Remarks

I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with schools, organizations, and individuals in creating workshops or artworks that reflect your unique needs and goals. Each workshop and piece of art is customized to honour cultural protocols, foster safe spaces, and inspire learning through the lens of Truth and Reconciliation.

Please feel free to reach out to discuss a custom workshop, consultation, or commissioned artwork that supports your vision while building knowledge, empathy, and meaningful connection.

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The Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association’s mission is to encourage, promote and support the educational, cultural, social and physical well-being of the people of the Mount Pleasant community.

There are many ways for you to support the Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association

We are looking for support for our:

• Food Security Program (Select the ‘General Option’ and type ‘Food Program’ in the optional text box)
• Child Care  Bursary Fund
• Mount Pleasant Park Pool Fund
• Out House Tables Fund
• General  (Select the ‘General Option’ and type ‘what you want to donation to go towards’ in the optional text box.)

Whether you choose to give cash, send a cheque or donate via the Canada Helps website, tax receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more.

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Video from APG Vancouver chair, Jerry Fast, on why it is important to cast your vote on April 5 for candidates who support retention of the elected Park Board. Candidates from TEAM, OneCity, the Green Party, and COPE have expressed their support for retaining the elected Park Board.

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