Co-creators of The Hearth community hub gathered Saturday afternoon to celebrate the success of their four-month trial run and express hope it could continue in an expanded form.
In December, a 946-square-foot portable building at the former Phoenix Elementary School site on Drake Road was leased to the nonprofit Chuan Society until March 31 by the Capital Regional District (CRD), which has a five-year lease for the property with School District 64. The Hearth resulted from a few years of urging that a “warming space” be established in Ganges during winter months for island residents without secure housing.
“Over our months of operation, The Hearth has helped numerous people to establish a place of belonging and connection,” explains a Change.org petition site supporting the next Chuan aspiration. “It has grown as a place which supports wellness, and has also activated our imaginations about what is possible with collective spaces. We have had film screenings, community circles, ceremonies, countless discussions, leather-making workshops, open-mics, community acupuncture, and regular community meals and potlucks during our time at the Phoenix portable, where we have also hosted Gabriel’s Kitchen this season.”
Gabriel’s Kitchen is a weekly meal and gathering that originated as Stone Soup served in Peace Park by Gabriel Bonga, who died in a boating accident in 2020. The event was most recently held at All Saints by-the-Sea Anglican Church until a renovation project there was announced.
The Phoenix portable and lower level of the former school building will be used by CRD parks maintenance staff and for equipment storage while a new facility is created for that purpose on a Kanaka Road lot owned by the CRD.
Kajin Goh, chair of the Chuan Society, said group members felt sad to close up over the weekend, but are applying to lease other parts of the property coming available. The school’s top floor, children’s playground and community garden are envisioned by Chuan as an intergenerational neighbourhood house called Phoenix Landing. It would allow for wider community involvement, more arts and culture activities, gardening, workshops, health and wellness activities, including counselling, and more sharing of food.
Goh points out that the location is ideal with its proximity to Ganges and the BC Housing supportive housing complex now under construction next door.
“We’re hoping [Phoenix Landing] will be connected to the neighbourhood and Salt Spring in general, because the island doesn’t have a community centre point. We don’t have a neighbourhood house or a friendship house.”
At Saturday’s closing circle, people who have used the space and helped run it shared some thoughts about The Hearth.
Longtime islanders Maggie Ziegler and Phil Vernon continued their participation in Gabriel’s Kitchen when it moved to The Hearth.
“I haven’t been here as much as I wish I could have been,” said Ziegler, “but every time I’m here, I have a really good feeling about this community and deep appreciation for the people I’ve had a chance to meet and talk to, and I feel a lot of gratitude for all of the organizing energy that’s gone into creating this, so thank you all.”
Keith Delaney described himself as a recovering alcoholic with culinary skills who found a purpose in cooking for Gabriel’s Kitchen.
“It’s done something for me that I really needed, which was to not just drink and waste my life away. I could look forward to doing groceries and coming up with some soup to make, which I love, because I love cooking . . . this whole place helps my sanity and my sobriety.”
The Hearth was open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
As a morning person, Jimbo Slice opened up the space most mornings, except when Jade Mercado beat him to the punch.
“I’m actually pretty proud of how things ran pretty smoothly,” said Slice. “Like, we can kind of self-police ourselves and just have things run just by people from the community. You don’t need to go and hire anybody to have something like this run.”
“I’ve seen so much magic happen here over the last four months,” said Stephen Carey. “The self-governing and the defence of the safety of this place has just been amazing. The amount of beautiful laughter and camaraderie and unity in this room — I can’t overstate how amazing this has been.”
Brian Webster, a CRD Local Community Commission elected commissioner, also attended Saturday’s event.
“I think the way it’s gone over the last few months has been a pleasant surprise to those who are paying attention, who doubted it would work out well, and that’s a huge positive. What the future holds, I’m not sure. But the accomplishment of operating this and having the community come together and meet a real need is something that people have noticed.”
Following the closing circle, people enjoyed creamy chicken mulligatawny and Tuscan white bean soups, made by Delaney and volunteer Penelope Stephenson, followed by barbecued burgers, and with exotic Turkish coffee made by Ulas Ozturk and sweet treats offered through the afternoon.
People wanting to support the Chuan Society’s application to lease the Phoenix school property can sign an online petition at change.org. Search for “Support the continuation of The Hearth at Phoenix School.”
Letters of support for Phoenix Landing and grant applications are welcomed at chuansociety@gmail.com, which is also the email for e-transfers. (Specify “Hearth” in the memo and “warmth” as the password.)