Renfrew-Collingwood Community News

News stories from the Renfrew-Collingwood community in East Vancouver

Category Archives: Health & Wellness


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13th Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival this Saturday, September 26

Moon-Festival-September-26BY SILING ZHANG

Fall is officially upon us and so is this year’s Renfrew Ravine Harvest Moon Festival, scheduled for this Saturday, September 26 at both Slocan and Renfrew parks! For those of you who just can’t wait, Still Moon Arts has organized a series of activities leading up to the festivities. This is your opportunity to get involved!

Local artist Yoko Tomita will be teaching lantern workshops at the Slocan Field House from 4-8 pm on the following days:

• Bamboo and Wire Frame Lanterns: September 14-18
• Globe Lantern: September 21-23
• Glass Jar Lanterns on September 23-24

The cost of these workshops is between $10 and $25. No reservations are required. For more information, check out our website stillmoon.org!

Due to the drought and dryness this year, we are also on the lookout for glass jar donations to minimize fire hazards within the ravine. We are looking for short jars, no longer than the length of your hand, with rims wide enough to fit a tea candle. If you have any such jars to spare, we would love to have them! Jars can be dropped off at the lantern workshops in Slocan Park Field House.

For the avid gardeners, don’t forget to bring your best vegetation to the Harvest Fair portion of the Moon Festival at Slocan Park. Categories include:
• Most sizeable sunflower
• Most bountiful flower bouquet
• Most gorgeous green bouquet
• Most creative fall display
• Tastiest homemade jam/jelly
• Most alluring Asian vegetable
• Most cumbersome cabbage
• Tubbiest tomato
• Heaviest zucchini
• Sexiest squash
• Beefiest bean
• Craziest carrot

Please visit the website at stillmoon.org for regular updates, or find them on Facebook, where they’ll be posting up-to-date details on all their activities, including a series of free preview concerts featuring musicians from the Moon Festival line-up!


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Meet Diana! An INTERactive connector

BY MELISSA CHAN

Diana, an INTERactive connector

INTERactive connector Diana. Photo by Brenda Zeimer

Through my own volunteer work with INTERactive, I’ve met some inspirational, dedicated individuals in the Renfrew-Collingwood community—people who want to make a difference in the lives of others.

Fortunately, I was able to meet with Di (Diana) Dyck: A lady who puts a tonne of effort into her volunteer work, despite challenges she faces due to a disability. But that doesn’t stop her. What caught my attention was the fact that Di was even able to communicate with another person who does not speak her language.

Di has lived in Renfrew-Collingwood for several years and has been an INTERactive connector for over a year, dedicating her spare time to helping Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH). She was originally referred to INTERactive by Sterling James, a member of the INTERactive Community Partners Circle who describes her as a “social butterfly.”

“What I like about the community is that it is safe and full of friendly people,” Di says. She reaches out by talking with new people, and starting conversations about opportunities through CNH and other agencies and community groups. From approaching businesses to providing information pamphlets, Di truly values the importance of getting to know and build a connection with other community members.

In her spare time, Di also enjoys baking cookies and going for walks around the neighbourhood. She has met many new friends, and has increased self-confidence through her volunteer experience. Di has built upon new skills which she’ll carry with her, throughout life.

Melissa Chan is involved with INTERactive as a connector. 

Copyright (c) 2015 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Eating Out in RC: Lotus Seed Vegetarian Restaurant

BY PAUL REID

#180 – 3665 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5R 5W2
(604) 431-7789

Coconut green curry at Lotus Seed Vegetarian Restaurant

Spicy Thai green curry at Lotus Seed Vegetarian Restaurant

Greetings RC. Good news: we have a new restaurant in the community that is going to help lead us into a more healthy lifestyle. Let’s give a big warm welcome to Van Loc and Amy who are bringing to our community health and awareness. “Awareness of healthy choices for food, our bodies, our community and our planet.” Their headquarters: the Lotus Seed Vegetarian Restaurant, named for the lotus, a divine symbol in Asian traditions representing the virtues of purity.

Located in the Boundary Plaza (at the corner of Boundary Road and Kingsway), between Starbucks and Bikram Yoga Metrotown, you can find parking there, free for up to one hour. Of course, though, being a healthy type, you may be arriving on foot. In that case, just head on in.

Once inside the nicely renovated interior, sporting a Zen-like simplicity and beauty, one can now choose from among Lotus Seed’s gourmet vegetarian offerings. All the menu will likely grow, Van Loc and Amy are starting off with relatively few items to ensure quality and freshness.

My accomplice and I, and guest accomplice, our niece Tania, can tell you first hand about three of them. We had the Spicy Thai Green Curry (tofu, mushrooms, potatoes, cauliflower, pineapple, green pepper, carrots, chick peas, green beans, garlic and onion with coconut base). With choice of rice or tortilla ($8.95). We also had the Zucchini Organic Brown Rice Lasagna (with home-made tomato sauce, top with sunflower, sesame, basil pesto ($8.95). And to round it out, the South American Baked Burrito (cheese, beans, basmati rice, sour cream, red cabbage, salsa, green pepper and guacamole, $8.95). We shared everything and my two accomplices and I gave each dish a big thumbs up! Super delicious. You will taste the love and goodness in each bite and boy, were we full.

Lotus Seed owners Amy and Van Loc

Lotus Seed owners Amy and Van Loc

Although this is by far not their first restaurant venture, this is their first vegetarian one. Van Loc, who has been a vegetarian for about five years now, says, “I had epiphany in my life where I wanted to make better choices for myself and my family. Better choices starting with food. And now I hope to make that food for everyone.”

A natural-born chef, Van Loc has been cooking from an early age. “Because I wanted to, because I have a passion for food.” Also because he started to criticize his mother’s cooking so much that she let him take over. That was when he was 12!

So, we’re telling you, Lotus Seed is the bomb, but you can’t really know until you taste for yourself. So if you haven’t done so already, do yourself a favour and head to the Lotus Seed. You can welcome Van Loc and Amy to RC, and of course try Lotus Seed’s healthy and delicious vegetarian food. You will love it. Bon appetit.

Copyright (c) 2014 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News