Vancouver Canucks shoot for a million meals for those in need

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Vancouver Canucks have made and donated more than half a million meals to families in need.

They are hoping to provide a million meals before the puck drops next season.

Robert Bartley, executive chef for Canucks Sports and Entertainment, says a year ago, the pandemic hit them full force.

“That caused the NHL to stop. That caused concerts to stop here at Rogers Arena … We had so much food inventory in this building,” he said.

 

Bartley credits THE Aquilini family, owners of the Canucks, for quickly pivoting their operation in a race against the clock and getting the food normally served in the arena out to people in need in the community.

Since getting that first batch of food out, the operation has grown. In an otherwise-quiet arena, an assembly line now functions non-stop, not only preparing and packing donated fresh ingredients but saving jobs for these workers along the way.

“We have an incredible building here with a lot of firepower here, a lot of space, a lot of refrigeration,” Bartley said.”I have a great team I work with … and so by putting those two mechanisms together with a great supply source, we make over 4,000 meals a day.”

 

Some of the meals include meatloaf with chickpeas and vegetables, roast chicken with sweet potato and peppers, and baked salmon with a vegetable medley. They are sent out to the Vancouver Food Bank, Salvation Army, and the Strathcona Community Centre on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

“It’s highly nutritious,” Bartley said. “It’s healthy, it’s not processed. It’s all fresh ingredients.”

The sheer volume of food being prepared and shipped out is staggering: 28,000 kg of chicken, 19,000 kg of salmon, 18,000 kg in vegetables, and one tonne of ketchup just to brush onto the meatloaf.

“To give you a bit of a sense, what we would bring in for a week would fill that entire area there floor to ceiling,” Bartley said.