Vancouver Foundation

Find out if there's a Neighbourhood Small Grants program in your area at vancouverfoundation.ca/nsg. You can also help support Neighbourhood Small Grants with a donation. Call Calvin in Donor Services at 604.629.5357 for more information. p a g e 1 8 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l F a l l 2 0 1 6 harvest event in the fall." Last year 50 residents harvested and cooked together. Cooke taught people how to make their own fettuccine noodles and pesto (from the patio's abundance of basil), and everyone shared butternut squash and kale salad— along with a massive pot of homemade ratatouille. "We just want to make sure that people are having fun," says Hui. "Our homes might be just 600 to 800 square feet, but because of this community and the people we have up here in the garden, it feels much much bigger." e formality of structured events has composted into com- munity soil, where people know each other well enough for get- togethers to spring up spontaneously. "It's been really exciting, and we have tons of gratitude for what these Vancouver Foundation grants have done for our community," says Hui. "We couldn't have done the things we have done without them, for sure." He adds that residents' intent is to become a fully self- sustaining model. is year residents didn't apply for a garden grant because they feel "pretty well-established and knew there were other garden groups that probably need the money." Word about the tremendous results has reached nearby buildings and beyond. Several groups have visited the James patio to learn from the model. "ere's a lot of pride and sense of community here, so much so that it's known in this area," says Cooke. "ey tailored their gardens after this model, so they also have collaborative gardens now." Both Cooke and Hui hope that the garden's success will influence future buildings. "I want to show that something like this can exist and can work, even in our 'city of glass' with high- rises and limited connection to agriculture and greenspace," says Cooke. "My hope is it will influence policy, where a shared ame- nity with garden space is part of what is expected." ey've already been interviewed by staff at Cressey, the developers who built James. "ey're looking to leverage this model and replicate a lot of the wins here, because it's been so successful," says Hui. "It's interesting to think that what we've done in this little garden is in essence shaping the way that Vancouver is building." ENDING URBAN ISOLATION Vancouver Foundation's 2012 report, Connections and Engagement, surveyed over 3,800 metro Vancouver residents about their friendships, neighbourhood relationships and views about the larger community of metro Vancouver. The survey was designed to inform Vancouver Foundation's work as a community foundation. Since then, the survey has been often cited by the city and agencies that develop programs and policy. Here is some of what the Foundation discovered: • One-third of people said it's difficult to make new friends here. Those aged 25-34 are particularly affected by loneliness, especially if they live in a suite in a house or in a basement apartment. • People who feel alone are twice as likely to report fair or poor health as people who do not feel alone. Research shows being lonely has as much impact on your health as being morbidly obese or smoking three packs of cigarettes a day. • People who are socially engaged and visit with friends throughout the week are happier as they age. • While most of us know the names of at least two of our neighbours, the connections typically stop there. Seventy-seven per cent of people in highrises have not done a favour for their neighbours in the past 12 months. • Many of us in metro Vancouver are retreating from community life. Most of us have not participated in neighbourhood and community activities. • The most-cited reason for not participating in neighbourhood and community life is not lack of time, but a feeling that we have little to offer.

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