Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw S7ílhen - Squamish Nation Food Pantry
X̱wemelch'stn (Capilano Indian Reserve No. 5) - North Vancouver, BC
Ongoing
Since 2020, the Squamish Nation Food Pantry in North Vancouver has shared a facility with the Nation’s Youth Centre. As both programs have grown and their needs have adapted over the past years, the Nation was looking for options to expand the functions of the food pantry. Space in an adjacent build originally envisioned as a food coop is available for the Pantry to inhabit as a Tenant Improvement.
The core pantry space is the packing a food preparation area where staff prepare hamper boxes for distribution in community. Beyond this the Pantry requires space for potential workshops and small group cooking classes as well as increased storage for cool and dry goods, and space to breakdown large food shipments coming in.
Balancing privacy of pantry users with the creation of a welcoming environment where people could socialize and gather is a core requirement of the space. This is achieved with moveable partitions and rolling shelfs that create separation between the public and private functions.
MOTIV’s team is working closely with the Pantry staff to explore opportunities for Squamish Nation art, language and craft expression integrated into the design in future phases.