Vancouver restaurants help newcomers to Canada with Feast for MOSAIC families
Vij’s co-owner Meeru Dhalwala spearheads project to support immigrants and refugees while giving local dining spots a boost
Meeru Dhalwala came to Vancouver via Washington, DC from India. Photo by Steven Taylor
FOR VANCOUVER RESTAURATEUR and recipe developer Meeru Dhalwala, co-owner of Vij’s Restaurant, the pandemic has led to a lot of worry—worry about the revered dining spot surviving the economic fallout and about the ripple effect on her staff. She’s also been thinking of how hard these days of isolation must be for newcomers.
Dhalwala knows what it’s like to feel like you don’t quite belong. Even though she has lived here for more than two decades, she still has people ask her where she’s from. Born in India, Dhalwala moved to Washington, D.C. as a child and came to Vancouver at age 30. Her mother and father were from Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province; both were refugees in the 1947 War of Partition.
“At a safe distance with the death of my mom and dad, I’m able to objectively look back at their lives and who they were,” Dhalwala tells Stir. “Like a hurricane, my thoughts go back to the young, hopeful, frightened, and love-filled couple that left Delhi and immigrated to the US in winter 1969 with a child—me. In India they were a renegade couple who loved to dance, played the sitar and harmonium, and knew everyone in their neighborhood so well that they dropped me off at random homes before heading out holding hands.
“In America, they were suddenly isolated and unfamiliar with everything and everyone,” she says. “Their hope and love ended up taking second, then third, then fourth place to all the stresses. Their first three years turned into nothing but focussing on basic needs—learning English, rent, and groceries.”
In survival mode, her parents never had a break during those difficult first years in their new country. Knowing first-hand what it’s like to be a part of an immigrant family, Dhalwala is on the board of directors of MOSAIC, a registered charity that helps immigrant, refugee, and migrant communities throughout B.C. One of the largest settlement non-profit organizations in Canada, MOSAIC serves children, youth, families, and seniors in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley as well as people throughout B.C. and overseas via online programs.
Now, Dhalwala is spearheading an effort that she hopes will show support to immigrant and refugee families while helping out the local restaurant industry.
Feast for MOSAIC Families is a new program where you can buy gift certificates from select local restaurants—helping them stay afloat—and MOSAIC distributes the gift cards to families who are new to the city, who have limited resources, and who are looking to make connections and explore Vancouver through food.
“In this pandemic, I’m feeling extremely insecure about the financial future of Vij’s and our staff; I’m socially isolated and bored at times,” Dhalwala says. “I imagine new immigrants and refugees feeling the same yet with the added insecurities of not belonging to their new cities. No one bought my mom and dad a coupon or gift certificate for having fun. Because we were seen as charity, no one thought to gift us as they would their neighbours, friends, or family members.”
Alongside Vij’s in Feast for MOSAIC Families are Ubuntu Canteen, Burdock and Co., Harvest Community Foods, Autostrada, and the Acorn. All of the participating restaurants share similar values, Dhalwala says.
“We care about the cultural vibrancy of our city and connecting our creative businesses with our world—from sustainable and regenerative agriculture to equality for all peoples,” Dhalwala says. “And now we want to connect our cuisines with new families who can’t afford to dine out or do take-out/delivery but would love a break from all the hardships of settling into a new country in winter in the midst of a pandemic.
“We restaurant owners need to increase our sales to get through this, and we want some new families or couples to have some fun and get a taste of what Vancouver dining has to offer—enjoy an evening that goes beyond their basic needs.”
To support the effort, you can go to the restaurants’ websites and click the MOSAIC gift certificate option. To donate directly to MOSAIC, visit MOSAIC.
MOSAIC is one of the largest nonprofit settlement organizations in Canada.
Related Articles
