First United is very privileged to have some very significant partners who are not actively members of our community but who believe in and support us. We could not be who we are or do what we do without these partners!

Individuals
There are many people who have an interest in being involved at First United and who find that the easiest way to join the community  is start by helping to prepare meals, serve food, hand out toiletries, provide support in the Thrift Store or Storage facility, etc, .. We do not regard these participants as “volunteers’ or ‘partners’, but see them as community members.

However, we do have a number of Volunteers/Partners who offer very specific skills in areas such as:

  • HR policies and systems
  • Supply Chain Management
  • IT and IS
  • Food Management
  • Building Maintenance and Repair
  • Legal Support
  • Audits and Reviews
  • PR, Social Media and Fundraising
  • Event Planning and Event Management
  • Project Management
  • Social Housing Development and Management
  • Psychiatric and Psychological Services
  • Property Development
  • Interior Design
  • Large complex building/development projects

Congregations
We are supported by 23 sandwich-making groups and 53 “congregational partners’, who are our link to United Church congregations.

Many of our meals are provided by Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and others partners who represent specific faith communities, specifically including:

  • Ahavat Olam Synagogue
  • Masjid ul-Haqq Mosque
  • Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen
  • Temple Shalom
  • Canadian Memorial United Church
  • Mt Seymour United Church
  • St David’s United Church
  • Various Groups of friends

Organisations
We rely heavily on advice, and/or funding and/or collective effort  provided by:

  • BC Housing
  • VanCity Credit Union
  • City of Vancouver and the City Council
  • Building Community Society
  • The Vancouver Police department
  • Vancouver Fire and Ambulance Services
  • Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Coast Mental Health
  • DTES organizations such as Carnegie Community Centre, Portland Hotel Society, Lookout Society, Atira Women’s resources Society

We deeply appreciate our relationships with these groups!