On the one-year anniversary of the fire (Sept 9th, 2022) that closed the Gain Wah restaurant and displaced 39 residents living in the Keefer Rooms SRO above, a community coalition is hosting a block party on Keefer Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
- What: Rebirth through the Flames block party in Chinatown
- When: Saturday September 9th, 2023, 12-4pm
- Where: 218/222 Keefer Street. Seating and community gathering in the adjacent alleyway, just East of Main Street.
The event is open to everyone: residents of Chinatown, the Downtown Eastside, and the general public are encouraged to come share a free meal, connect with the community and share your ideas for a new Gain Wah.
The event is being hosted by a community coalition that has formed under a shared commitment to seeing Gain Wah re-open as a social enterprise and Keefer Rooms SRO restored as affordable housing.
“We welcome everyone to this community celebration of food security in Chinatown – in particular to restaurants like Gain Wah,” says Stephanie Leo, a member of the Gain Wah Project Steering Committee. “This is a real opportunity to mark a new beginning for Gain Wah’s continued legacy of serving affordable food to all in Vancouver’s Chinatown.”
“An amazing coalition of community members and organizations are working to re-establish a new Gain Wah restaurant as a social enterprise, and to advocate for the return of the previous tenants of Keefer Rooms”, says Julia Wong of the DTES SRO Collaborative and member of the coalition. “We’re hoping to raise awareness and garner community support for food security and affordable housing in Chinatown.”
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