Downtown South Gathering Place Community Centre Association

Dsgpcca once again hosted the hallows festival in october 2024. Incorporating cultural practices from around the world hallows festival honours the dead using art music community workshops ceremony shrines and rituals. Other ongoing programs included providing free meals at weekly friday music events as well as free community dinners distributing food vouchers to local retailers to give to needy residents in the community bingo programming andd other social and recreational opportunities for low-income residents of the downtown south community. The dsgpcca received two indigenous focused grants and a seniors focused grant in 2024. The indigenous healing and wellness grant provided funding to support an indigenous community room open hours program that features a weekly elder-in-residence indigenous programming and a safe space for the indigenous community to gather. The other indigenous grant supported an indigenous medicinal garden to connect the community to indigenous healing and medicinal practices. The grant supporting seniors offers weekly programming and refreshments to promote community and reduce isolation among low-income seniors. Grant funds were also received to help support the gathering place's annual block party featuring activities such as indigenous craft making latine paper crafts karaoke and an outdoor picnic bbq for 1500 people.