The 2016 Hope in Shadows calendar is now for sale and you can scoop one up from your local Megaphone Magazine vendor, located on a bustling street corner in Vancouver or Victoria.
There are a few layers to the Hope in Shadows project, starting with the photographs that go in the calendars.
Hope in Shadows, based in the Downtown Eastside, grew out of the work of a group of Pivot Legal Society volunteers who began working with the Downtown Eastside community in 2000 and in 2003, Pivot hosted the first Hope in Shadows photography contest in 2003.
“Single-use film cameras were distributed to people in the neighbourhood. Participants took pictures of their friends, their families, and the places in the community that mattered most to them. The top photos became the first Hope in Shadows calendar.
From the very first year, the community was eager to get involved with the project, and since then Hope in Shadows contest participants have captured over 30,000 images of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Winning photos are chosen by a panel of artists from inside and outside of the community, and through a community vote. Contest winners and photo subjects are invited to share the stories behind the captivating images, and a selection of winning images is featured in the annual calendar.”
The Hope in Shadows calendar is then sold through Megaphone Magazine’s vendor program, which provides opportunities for residents to earn an income, gain and practice skills, and act as ambassadors for their community. Every season, Hope in Shadows works with over 200 low-income people who sign up to sell the calendar. Vendors earn $10 dollars for each $20 calendar sold.
This year’s Hope in Shadows calendar is special: it’s a retrospective of the first 12 years of the project. And when you purchase Megaphone Magazine for $2, you’ll get a free sheet of wrapping paper inside so you can wrap the Hope in Shadows calendar that you’ll (hopefully) also purchase along with it.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — This post is sponsored by Save-On-Foods. Views and opinions are my own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
It’s not often that you get to see behind the curtain before the show begins, but ever since I shadowed the EComm team at the Grandview Save-On-Foods earlier this month, I couldn’t wait to try online grocery ordering for myself.
The perfect opportunity arose when I invited my sister on a ski weekend to Manning Park. She’s a busy single mom with 4 kids, who works full time and goes to school. I had pulled her away for an overnight winter wonderland escape on Saturday but knew that come Sunday night, she would need to start getting ready for (and would be stressing about) the week ahead. This is where my plan began to take shape.
On Friday night, I went online and picked out some essentials. I got some help from my mother who did recon at my sister’s house for me. Basics like paper towels and toothpaste, along with meal-builders like pasta, lean ground beef and rice. Her kids love their fruits and vegetables so I ordered oranges, peaches, apples, and assorted juice. Tea, jam, soups, milk, yogurt, and those lovable goldfish crackers rounded out the list.
During the online ordering process I was prompted when items were “2 for X amount”, on sale, or available for points redemption. It was a nice touch since it’s something you might see in store and now you won’t miss out on when ordering online.
I selected a pick-up location that was unfamiliar to us both (she is in Surrey and I am in Vancouver) since it would be on the way home from Manning Park. My order was placed and confirmed for the East Abbotsford location and I received my free pickup instructions by email:
Use the express lane by pulling up to the intercom and follow the instructions to announce your arrival. Your Personal Shopper will bring your order to your vehicle.
Please have your order number available upon arrival.
Orders require signature of Receipt at time of Pick Up.
You may be asked to show ID – Driver License or the credit card the order was placed on at the time of Pick Up.
After cross-country skiing, snowboarding, hot tub time and exploring Manning Park, we packed up and headed back to the Lower Mainland on Sunday afternoon.
As we left the Provincial Park behind us and took to the winding mountain highway, my sister’s brain started to get back into “working week” mode: What the kids had to get done this week, a report she had to file for school, and what was coming up at work before the holidays. I cut her off and told her there was one thing she didn’t have to worry about, as I already took care of her grocery shopping that week. I think I may have won the “Sister of the Year Award”, or at least now I was in contention for the honour.
I had selected a pick-up window of 3:00pm-5:00pm at the Save-On-Foods in Abbotsford, just west Castle Fun Park and we arrived around 3:15pm. I knew the process, thanks to my visit with Grandview, and pulled up to the intercom in the parking lot.
I was thankful that we didn’t have to get out of the car since it was cold, windy, and rainy outside. Within 7 minutes a team member had pulled her cart up to the front of the car, and once we parked in a designated spot, reviewed our order, loaded us up, and we were good to go!
By 4:15pm, we had parked in front of my sister’s house where her youngest poked his head out the window, next to the glowing Christmas tree. Her boys came bounding down the steps to welcome their mom home – and to help carry in the groceries. Dinner, school lunches, and meals for the week were all taken care of.
It was easy for me to lift one weight off my sister’s shoulders and it’s also something she can now do herself, with the online delivery option offered by Save-On-Foods. Next time though, I’m staying for dinner.
Vancouver DJs The Funk Hunters are back in town from touring internationally to play two hometown shows at The Commodore Ballroom on December 22nd (sold out) and December 23rd.
Photo Credit: Mark Brennan
The Funk Hunters Hometown Shows
Where: Tuesday, December 22nd & Wednesday, December 23rd When: The Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville Street) Tickets: Available for the 23rd via Ticketmaster for $28.50 (+fees)
2015 has been a breakout year for The Funk Hunters (Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith). They’ve played 75 shows in 5 countries and brought the Funk to some world class festivals including Electric Forest, Sonic Bloom, What The Festival, Squamish, Shambhala & Envision. The Funk Hunters also opened up for The Roots, collaborated and toured extensively with Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, and produced remixes for Imagine Dragons & Selena Gomez. The hustle will continue in 2016 with tours planned in Europe, Australia and New Zealand with Chali 2na.
Win Tickets to Funk The Halls
You can check out The Funk Hunters live at The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on December 23rd. Here’s how to enter to win tickets:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to @thefunkhunters #FunkTheHalls from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/W2Kox
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00am on Monday, December 21, 2015. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly. Follow The Funk Hunters on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — This post is sponsored by Travel Alberta. Views and opinions are my own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
At 5.3 million square feet, and with approximately 30.8 million visitors each year, West Edmonton Mall has been Alberta’s top tourist attraction for the past three decades. However, as John and I discovered on our recent tour of wild rose country, there’s much more to Alberta’s capital city than its epic shopping mecca.
Where to Stay in Edmonton
We traded the towering mountains of Jasper for the edifices in Edmonton’s city centre. Rolling in off the highway, we made our way to the stylish Matrix Hotel (1). Our guest room was well-appointed, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that they offered complimentary parking, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a complimentary breakfast buffet in the morning. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
It’s a busy (and rainy) weekend before Christmas so be sure to take some time out to enjoy some of the season’s festivities. Check out my top picks for FREE events and the rest of the weekend’s events below:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.
Never miss my TOP PICKS for events in Vancouver! Receive this event list right to your email inbox by signing up for the Miss604 Weekly Events Newsletter below:
Check out the full December event listings here and if you have an event to include, please send it in by email for a free listing. Follow Miss604 on Twitter for more daily updates.
There are a few layers to the Hope in Shadows project, starting with the photographs that go in the calendars. 
I was thankful that we didn’t have to get out of the car since it was cold, windy, and rainy outside. Within 7 minutes a team member had pulled her cart up to the front of the car, and once we parked in a designated spot, reviewed our order, loaded us up, and we were good to go!
