As the sizeable, sweeping spaces of convention centres meet the conditions required for adequate physical distancing, many facilities that had been otherwise closed during the pandemic were transformed into alternative sites in an effort to control the spread in health care facilities and city shelters. The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC) came together with community partners to convert the facility into a safe space for the city’s most vulnerable, becoming a 24-hour, seven- days-a-week satellite shelter for two months to support the Calgary Drop-In Centre, with room for up to 300 clients. All meals were provided by the convention centre and guests had access to showers. Kurby Court, president and CEO, CTCC, noted that “what’s really unique about this space is that we’ve got glass, we’ve got large-screen format TVs for them, there’s lots to do in this venue to feel relaxed in this very uncertain time.” Hotels and venues across the country—many that had to close their doors— continued to show support for essential workers and their communities, sending optimistic messages of solidarity with light displays. Hotel windows glowed bright in the shape of a heart, in the colours of the rainbow or with messages of hope. Venues, hotels, landmarks and attractions were lit up in blue as a display of gratitude to the frontline workers who risked their lives daily, and they glowed purple to show their support for the hospitality community. The Edmonton Expo Centre became a community support facility for both social distancing and self-isolation. One section of the facility offered daily drop-in services to community members without access to housing as overflow support for facilities that had to close or limit their capacity to accommodate social distancing requirements. A separate section was a 24-hour isolation shelter for the homeless population that had been exposed to the virus or were experiencing symptoms, giving them a place to self-isolate and recover. Together with Vancouver Coastal Health and other partners, the West building of the Vancouver Convention Centre was used as a provincial alternative care site for lower-acuity, non-COVID-19 patients. The site had 271 beds, four nursing stations, showers for both patients and staff, oxygen and medical supplies, with bed spaces set up in a pod format with a dedicated health care team for every 25 patients. HEARTS Glowing distribute food surpluses and meals to community organizations while developing culinary education for youth. Both hotels prepared approximately 25,000 meals per week over a six-to-eight week period. Many suppliers directed their support towards the frontline health care workers by providing nourishing meals. The Windsor Arms Hotel partnered with Cerise Fine Catering to deliver 1,000 boxed lunches to the first responders at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, and 1,000 snacks for the University Health Network's health care professionals. “We’re proud to help the city combat this crisis by providing our brave medical professionals with a meal or snack so that they can focus on what’s most important, saving lives," said Mateus de Campos, general manager of Cerise Fine Catering. Catherine Mesly, VP of operations at Strategic Site Selection, and her fiancé, Jake McGuire, teamed up with local caterers in their community of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., to provide healthy boxed lunches to frontline medical workers. The duo started a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of their “Fuel the Superheroes” initiative— raising more than double their goal of $5,000 and providing over 1,000 meals—and Catherine adds a hand-written note of encouragement to each box they deliver, to let them know the community is supporting them and to help lift their spirits. Mesly notes, “I felt the best way I knew how to show them appreciation was through healthy, hearty meals. Doing this would also give us a way to support small business—caterers and local restaurants who are taking a hit from cancelled events and in-restaurant dining.” SHELTER Giving Edmonton Expo Centre July 2020 | Ignitemag.ca | 25
