Fifteen years ago when my sister spent a long time in Peace Arch Hospital the food they served patients was disgusting. We would take in all her meals. The meals served to patients in the hospital were made in Ontario and shipped to BC and reheated. I said they should replace the meals served in cafeteria in the BC Legislature with the slop from Ontario. If our MLA's had to eat this garbage, they would do something about it.
I was thrilled, fifteen years later to read this:
Peace Arch Hospital + Community Health Foundation has officially surpassed its $5 million fundraising goal in its efforts to transform patient dining in White Rock.
The foundation thanked the community for its generosity in enabling Healing Starts Here: A Campaign for a New Production Kitchen at Peace Arch Hospital n in a release.
The transformation is already taking shape, the release shared, with construction approximately 75 per cent complete, and equipment installation now underway. Construction is expected to be substantially complete by the end of this year, with the first patient meal from the new production kitchen slated to be served in early 2027.
“Food is more than fuel, especially for our most vulnerable patients,” foundation CEO Stephanie Beck said in the release. “Surpassing our $5 million goal is an incredible milestone, and we are deeply grateful to every donor who believed in this vision and helped make it possible. Together, we are creating a new approach to food at Peace Arch Hospital — one that brings nourishment, comfort, choice and healing to the patient experience.”
For Chef Matthew Richmond, manager of support services and food operations at Peace Arch Hospital, the project represents an opportunity to bring more heart — and flavour — to hospital food.
“Our goal is to create food that patients genuinely look forward to eating,” Richmond said in the release. “This new kitchen gives our chefs and dietitians the tools to prepare fresh, nutritious meals while offering patients more choice and a more personalized dining experience.”
Thanks to the community’s largesse, additional opportunities that can add value to the project and the surrounding site are being explored.
The foundation is currently exploring innovative additions such as a fresh vegetable and herb garden and a potential outdoor dining space for staff, patients, and guests — creating opportunities to connect the food being grown with the meals being prepared in the new kitchen.
“Our donors have allowed us to dream bigger,” Beck said. “We are excited to explore how we can build on this project with features that connect food, community, wellness, and healing. We’ll share more as these additional projects take shape.”
