AHA Media

Along the theme of new beginnings, this meal will be UGM’s second annual “Orange Day.” Every year, UGM’s Easter dinner guests are given an orange when they leave as a token of hope and a symbol of a fresh start. This year, the entire day will go “orange”. Volunteers and staff will be dressed in brightly coloured orange clothing, adorned with Orange Day buttons, while UGM’s walls will be splashed with colourful posters.

Squeeze the Day! How the Public can Participate

The week prior to Easter, UGM will be encouraging the public to “squeeze the day” and keep the community spirit of the Olympics alive by hitting the streets and enjoying Vancouver’s free attractions and public space. Then, whatever’s saved can be donated to UGM at ugm.ca, whether it is $10 (the price of a movie ticket) or $70 (the price of a concert). Last year UGM’s goal was $12,000; that number was nearly doubled as whopping $23,000 was collected in support of UGM’s programs. This year, UGM aims to raise even more to provide hope and help to the hungry, hurting, and homeless across Metro Vancouver.

Participants are encouraged to join the orange community by sharing their experiences on the web. http://www.ugm.ca/orangeday has been set up as a centre to automatically collect content such as Flickr photos, tweets, or Facebook posts tagged with #orangeday. UGM will be partnering with local bloggers like Miss604 (www.miss604.com) throughout the week to help communicate the project to the public.

To find out more, visit http://www.ugm.ca/orangeday and see the Orange Day Event Kickoff details below.

Easter Meal Details:

When: Friday, April 2nd, 2010, 10:30am to 4:30pm

* The media are welcome to come early and get footage of set-up

* Doors open at 10:00am; first meal served at 10:30am

Where: Main Location: 616 East Cordova, Vancouver

Other Locations Served:

* New Westminster Drop-in: 529 Queens Avenue, New Westminster

* Mission Drop-in: 33071 Railway Avenue, Mission

* The Orchard Housing Complex, Surrey

* Maurice McElrea Place, Vancouver

Items Served:

* 130 hams (2,400 lbs)

* 1,100 lbs of scalloped potatoes

* 750 lbs of vegetables

* 50 gallons (190 litres) of pineapple sauce

* 3,600 dinner rolls

* 585 apple pies

* 350 litres of ice cream

Orange Day Events:

Campaign Kickoff: Gastown Photowalk

To kick off the week, you’re invited to a Gastown Photowalk. UGM’s own Leah Gregg will guide you as you get to know this part of the city with new eyes and through your camera lens, spend an afternoon outside, and – best of all – you don’t have to spend a penny!

When: Saturday, March 27, 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Where: Meet at the Gassy Jack statue at the intersection of Carrall, Powell, and Water Streets.

What to bring: Outdoor-wear; camera or cellphone with camera.

Why: UGM’s Orange Day campaign is about getting out and enjoying Vancouver without spending money, and then donating what you would have spent toward UGM’s Easter Meal.

Who: Invite your friends! Invite everyone!

Orange Day Tweet-Up

Join Vancouver bloggers and UGM staff and volunteers as we chill together and get the word out online about the Orange Day campaign. Then, weather permitting, we’ll walk over to Crab Park to have some fun Orange Day activities and create bright, fresh “analog tweets” to spread the love and encourage homeless in our city and guests at the UGM meal.

When: Monday, March 29, 6:00pm (Chill Winston meetup); 7:00pm (Orange fun at Crab Park)

Where: Meet at Chill Winston, at the intersection of Carrall, Powell, and Water Streets.

What to bring: Outdoor-wear; camera or cellphone with camera to take pictures of you with your posters.

Who: Everyone is welcome

About UGM:

Union Gospel Mission has been reaching hungry, hurting, and homeless men, women, youth, and children for nearly 70 years. Through its 8 locations in Metro Vancouver and the city of Mission, UGM provides counseling, education, safe housing, and alcohol and drug recovery to those struggling with poverty, homelessness, and addiction. The heart of the mission is to demonstrate God’s transforming love, ease the burden of the most vulnerable, rebuild the lives of the broken, and offer dignity to those who feel cast aside. UGM is a proud member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities.

To find out more, visit www.ugm.ca.