由於數以千計的人繼續呆在家裡等待 COVID-19 疫苗接種，溫哥華市中心東區的低收入老人繼續被孤立，並依賴社區組織的支持。

為了響應社區需求，總部位於溫哥華唐人街的非營利組織世代同行會（Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice），將其常規服務從醫療陪護、翻譯擴展到為在家的華裔長者配送適合他們文化的新鮮雜貨。

根據 溫哥華市府的報告 ，雖然華埠和斯特拉斯科納分別有 32% 和 45% 的人在家中以中文為主要語言，但今年的農曆新年慶典，他們將無法聚集在一起。疫情限制催生了世代同行會新的適應性計劃—通過每週電話查訪的方式與130多名華裔長者保持聯繫、送出1500個適合文化的新鮮雜貨袋、分發手工製作的可重複使用的捐贈口罩。

在華裔長者等待接種疫苗的過程中，世代同行會通過適應性計劃直接支持他們。 機構將在 2 月到 3 月在網上籌集5萬加元 ，以繼續支緩其項目，包括醫療陪伴和翻譯、與獨居老人的電話查房以及新鮮雜貨的配送。

要了解更多關於世代同行會的工作，請訪問www.yarrowsociety.ca。

Grace is a Cantonese-speaking senior living in Chinatown and an artist. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grace persevered through job insecurity and the emotional toll of social distancing with support from Yarrow. Through donor funds, Yarrow provided phone check-ins, translation assistance, and grocery deliveries for Grace and elders like her throughout Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. With this community support, Grace has retained her happiness and confidence through these trying times. With her needs taken care of, Grace wants to help more seniors access Yarrow's many services. Grace has now taken on a leadership role on Yarrow’s Board of Directors and is also volunteering at the Women’s Centre in Chinatown during the pandemic. 

Since 2015, Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice 世代同行會 has been working with Chinese-speaking seniors like Grace to access medical support, housing, income, and government services.  

Supporting one another is more important now than ever. This year, Yarrow is raising $50,000 to organize, reduce isolation for seniors, and ensure access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. In supporting these efforts, you can contribute directly to the well-being of the community today. 

Your contributions, whatever their amount, will help directly fund Yarrow’s programs:

• $10 will buy a bag of basic groceries that we deliver to seniors at home
• $15 will give a senior a ride to their medical appointment with our medical accompaniment volunteers
• $30 will support our medical accompaniment program and reimburse guests or volunteers
• $50 will support a senior applying for social housing
• $100 will ensure a senior can attend a doctor’s appointment with proper interpretation support
• $200 will fund a youth-led intergenerational event
• $500 sponsors 1 year of weekly basic grocery deliveries to a senior
• $1000 sponsors 1 year of weekly large grocery deliveries to a senior

Why contribute to Yarrow?

• We provide one-on-one support for seniors who face language and cultural barriers to accessing government services to meet their housing, health, and income needs;
• We are delivering culturally appropriate groceries to seniors and at-risk community members in the Chinatown and Strathcona community in the face of COVID-19;
• We provide free culturally safe case management services in Chinese in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. We are one of the only two organizations offering this service even though Chinatown and Strathcona have 32% and 45% of people speaking Chinese as their main language at home; and  
• We help seniors access basic healthcare by providing medical accompaniment and interpretation support at their hospital and specialist appointments. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yarrow has focused on providing direct support for Downtown Eastside socially isolated seniors who need access to food and basic services. In partnership with Hua Foundation, Yarrow began providing fresh, culturally appropriate groceries to elders in the Chinatown, DTES, and Strathcona neighbourhoods, built and maintained relationships with 130+ elders through phone call check-ins, and distributed 100+ handmade reusable masks donated by community members.

In 2021-2022, our priorities are to:

• Continue supporting seniors one-on-one through casework and medical accompaniment services;
• Continue to safely deliver groceries to seniors throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; 
• Grow and deepen our network of youth volunteers to build our intergenerational community;
• Restart the Language Access to Healthcare Campaign; and
• Develop leadership among seniors and youth to advocate for language justice in the healthcare system.

In order to keep Yarrow a community-led organization, we need the support of people like you. Your money directly supports the programs we outlined above, keeping Yarrow accountable to its mission to serve Chinatown and its low-income senior residents. Yarrow also applies for grants, which have requirements set forth by the funder, which do not always align with our program needs.  Your contribution gives Yarrow financial stability to stay focused on the seniors we want to serve, together.

If you are interested in getting involved in our Language Access to Healthcare Campaign, please reach out to info@yarrowsociety.ca . For getting involved in our grocery store delivery program, please contact minnie@yarrowsociety.ca . 

Long-term Vision

Yarrow’s ultimate vision is a thriving, equitable, and intergenerational community in Chinatown. 

Our community’s service needs come from systemically imposed inequality. While it has been long identified that racialized people and people who do not speak English as their first language face more barriers in accessing vital services and community connection, the barriers remain in place. We recognize therefore that providing interpretation and other services is not the answer to our community’s challenges; long-term inequities require long-term solutions. For this, Yarrow will need your continued support as we continue to provide support services and work towards social change to remove these access barriers.

Access to healthcare is a human right. Language justice is racial justice.