Everyday is different: a “typical” Sunday shift

I got the chance to spend a few hours last Sunday with CEDAR Outreach Worker Morgan to document the important work she does for the community.

She starts her day by helping one of CEDAR’s faithful volunteers, Louise, prepare and package hundreds of sandwiches and other food items to give out that day. Louise also works for Archway’s Meals on Wheels program, who receives daily food donations from a local Save-on-Foods. She spends hours preparing sandwich fillings, everything from pulled pork to beef brisket.

After helping Louise, Morgan reads over the files from the week prior and uses CEDAR’s outreach phone to text or call clients who need assistance. She takes an inventory of supplies the CEDAR van has in stock and takes a trip to our storage locker to refill whatever she can. There are many donations that she knows clients will request but we are currently out of, such as blankets, warm jackets, and men’s clothing.

Morgan carefully scouts out the different camps that she knows of and drives slowly around town to look for people huddled up under alcoves. She introduces herself, invites them to the van to get whatevers supplies they need, or brings the food and harm reduction supplies directly to them if they can’t easily access the van.

Morgan knows there is a massive service gap in the Fraser Valley that prevents people from accessing the types of services they need. Her job is to give people the resources she has on hand, whether that be giving them a hot sandwich or a listening ear, and to refer them to further services in the community that will help them achieve their goals.

Everyday is different for the types of clients she will meet. This cold Sunday, with a fresh layer of snow on the ground, she assisted clients who were just released from the hospital but are now living on the street; clients who just got beaten up and robbed and needed help following up with victim services; clients who were staying in a tent with their puppy and trying to get their portable heater to start working.

While visiting the new warming center run by Drug War Survivors, Morgan tries to help someone whose leg is badly infected but refuses to go to the hospital due to how poorly he was treated last time he was there. She gets on his level and offers him different medical services that cater to those who live on the streets.

Morgan embodies CEDAR’s values of Connect, Empower, Destigmatize, Advocate, and Respect everyday in her work.

“We’re just a van with words on the side unless there is actually action behind it,” said Morgan. “[We] connect people to [services] that they didn’t even know were available. Just by going to camps [we’re] more likely to find the most vulnerable people.”