Street Hope Victoria
Our Projects
Victoria, BC
Street Hope Victoria (SHV) is a volunteer-driven ministry that builds personal relationships with people who face multiple barriers and marginalization and encourages them to seek wholeness in all aspects of their lives. Those we serve may be facing poverty, a lack of supportive community, homelessness, addictions or mental health issues.
SHV operates out of wagons as volunteers walk up and down a block of Pandora Avenue serving homemade soup, sandwiches, drinks, cookies and also providing other essentials such as warm clothing. It is SHV’s hope to establish and nurture meaningful connections with folks living their lives on or around Pandora Avenue, listening, talking, and praying with people when we get the chance. We hope in our words and actions to point people to Jesus, the one who loves them and knows their every need.
Project Director
Lisa Warden
Director,
Street Hope Victoria
Email Lisa
888.316.8169 ext 8
Project Update
Street Hope Victoria – Ministry Update
We continue our Tuesday evening ministry of giving out soup and sandwiches to those living on and around Pandora, and catching up with old and new faces. We now have a sandwich-making rotation of volunteers. This group of faithful women and men make sandwiches for our evening outreach every Tuesday afternoon and have been a real blessing as we make over a hundred sandwiches each week!
We had a brilliant Easter thanks to everyone who gave goodies for our Easter appeal. We gave out 96 bags filled with sweet and savoury treats, and a poem, ‘Tea Cakes with Jesus’ by Kate Gaston. Giving out the Easter bags allowed us to have some wonderful conversations with our friends on Pandora about the real meaning of Easter, from how Jesus took our rubbish on the cross so we could have a relationship with God, to how he is big enough to hold all our pain, anger, despair, and that we can have hope because Jesus is risen.
We come across many people who need a listening ear, encouragement, someone they can talk to who is safe, won’t judge them, or use what they say against them, and who isn’t affiliated with government or social organisations. The community on the street can be very supportive but also full of tension, and angst. One of our regular connections is Cathy*.
Cathy had been staying at a different shelter, so we hadn’t seen her for a while. A volunteer and I bumped into her on our weekly Wednesday prayer walk up and down Pandora. She shared how much she missed seeing us on Tuesday evenings. She shared how much she appreciated knowing people in the community cared about her, and how much of an impact and difference that makes to people’s lives. She also shared ideas on how we could expand our work and what this could look like.
The mutual encouragement that we receive from people living on and around Pandora continues to amaze and challenge me. Am I this grateful, thankful, or ready to offer encouragement when I’m going through a difficult situation? I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Just like the people we meet on Tuesdays offer encouragement and call out the gold in us, I too want to be able to offer encouragement and call out the God-given gold in them.
- Pray for all our volunteers: sandwich and soup makers, and those who distribute the food.
- Pray that we would have open ears to hear God speaking, open eyes to see who and where he is at work, and open mouths to speak of him to those we meet. People cannot live on bread alone; we know people need physical food and safety, but they also need to meet Jesus.
- Pray that there will be many open hearts on Pandora.
Debs Moyo
Project Leader, Street Hope Victoria and National Director of Threshold Ministries
Victoria, BC
Who We Are
Street Hope has been working in Victoria for the past 30 years. Street Hope Victoria began in 1986, with a particular focus on youth who were experiencing homelessness. Over the past number of years, we have shifted our venue to a motor home (since 2010) and broadened our age range.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic we have been using carts filled with food, drink and cold weather essentials, to share the love of Jesus as we walk up and down Pandora Avenue.
Street Hope Victoria is entirely volunteer driven. The committed group of volunteers at Street Hope Victoria operate under the umbrella of Threshold Ministries. This is a national organization and the national office is located in New Brunswick.
We meet each Tuesday evening at 7:30 for up to an hour and a half to give out food, listen, talk and pray with people we meet.
Our Numbers
100 sandwiches are given out each evening as well as 18 litres of soup; as well as other food and clothing items.
4-6 volunteers help out per evening.
Multiple conversations occur, people are encouraged and leave with full stomachs.
What does Street Hope Mean to you?
“A place that I look forward to each time. I feel enriched with the spirit of hope, love and belonging and I am grateful for your care and attention. Thanks, and bless you.”
“It restores my hope. Being in a situation where you are surrounded by a lot of negativity when you are homeless it’s easy to forget nice people and good things in life. Street Hope has me looking forward to something for the first time in a long time. It reminds me of my old life. It’s important to have light at the end of the tunnel. Street Hope encourages me to get back on track and make goals. Street Hope allows for intimacy through one on one connections.”