If you love good food, good music, unique local crafts, and have an eye for second-hand treasure, mark Saturday, May 13 on your calendar.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday Station and friends invite the public to the Native Sons Hall in Courtenay for a Community Artisan & Flea Market.

The event will feature more than 30 exhibitors, live music, and delicious fresh food prepared onsite by Sunday Station volunteers. Proceeds will benefit the non-profit, which meets each Sunday outside the old train station in Courtenay to serve meals and distribute food items, clothing, and harm reduction supplies to anyone who needs them.

There鈥檚 no question that the need has grown since the group鈥檚 inception in 2020. Sunday Station has worked hard to grow its capacity to meet that need, with help from grants and the generosity of local businesses and individual donors.

A hot meal service now takes place at 4:30 p.m. every Sunday, all year round, and can serve as many as 80 guests or more in a couple of hours. Bad weather may occasionally deter some of the guests as they seek shelter, but the volunteers show up each week regardless, and stay until everyone has eaten.

A recent survey shows that those served include both housed and unhoused people of diverse abilities, ethnicities and age groups, ranging from children in strollers to seniors. Some struggle with physical illness or disability, mental illness or addiction. All of them need to eat on a day when no other organized meal service is offered in the Valley. They come to Sunday Station knowing that they are always welcome and needn鈥檛 explain why they are there. The atmosphere is friendly, supportive and respectful. Often there鈥檚 a lot of laughter and banter among guests and volunteers.

Sunday Station is 100 per cent volunteer-driven, with a board of directors but no paid staff. Robin MacDonald has been involved from the start, and serves as a director and the team lead.

鈥淲e have a wide range of people offering their time to our meal program,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur team ranges from young children and families, practicum students, all ages, races, genders, religions, ethnicity, and people with lived experience.鈥�

She attributes the growth of the non-profit in large part to the commitment of its volunteers, who cook at home and deliver the program without a centralized office or other premises.

Board member Wendy Houghton heads up the volunteer cook team, and brings expertise gained during 30 years of cooking professionally around North Vancouver. During that time she became increasingly disenchanted with corporate life, but wanted to continue to put her talents to good use.

鈥淔eeding people has always been my priority,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n August 2020, I saw a write-up about Sunday Station. I joined as a volunteer in September.鈥�

She doesn鈥檛 regret her move from professional kitchen to camp stove, where she helps to ensure the safety and quality of the food served.

Now Sunday Station looks forward to sharing some lovingly-prepared home cooking with visitors to the Artisan and Flea Market on May 13.

For more information, or to make a donation or volunteer, you can message them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SundayStationComoxValley2020, or by email at sundaystation2020@gmail.com.