Dine Strathcona

Dine Strathcona takes place November 18 to 30

Show support for Strathcona’s small businesses while raising funds for WISH Drop-In Centre.

Strathcona’s hospitality community will come together this month to showcase the neighborhood’s vibrant culinary scene while raising money to provide support for vulnerable individuals in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside during the second annual Dine Strathcona initiative, taking place November 18 to 30.

First launched in 2019 by the Strathcona BIA as ‘Dine Railtown’, the neighborhood initiative has now expanded to encompass restaurants, cafés, and breweries across the larger Strathcona area. Dine Strathcona will see participating dining establishments such as Ask For Luigi, Dosanko, and The Garden offer a feature dish throughout the two-week event period, with $1 for each dish ordered donated to WISH Drop-In Centre.

For almost 40 years, WISH Drop-In Centre has been a refuge and an essential point of contact for street-based sex workers who have been made vulnerable due to poverty, homelessness, trauma, violence, stigma, and a lack of access to supports and opportunities. It is the largest organization in Canada supporting sex workers and the only drop-in centre in the region supporting them 365 nights a year. Money raised during Dine Strathcona will help fund the critical services and resources WISH provides, including its 24-hour drop-in centre where they serve over 9000 meals a month, its emergency shelter, it’s Mobile Access Project Van, as well as WISH’s capacity-building programs.

“Small businesses and organizations like the WISH Drop-In Centre are at the heart of this neighborhood and it’s more critical now than ever to show our support for them,” says Theodora Lamb, Executive Director of the SBIA. “Dine Strathcona allows residents and visitors alike to do just that — make a positive impact in the lives of those who live and work in the district while also enjoying safe dining experiences at the many incredible cafés, restaurants, and small businesses that call Strathcona home.”

Participating locations have implemented extensive safety and distancing measures to keep their customers safe. Many of the feature dishes are also available for takeout and delivery for those who wish to support Dine Strathcona from the comfort of home.