The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Seaspan ULC, and Southern Railway of British Columbia partnered with United Way of the Lower Mainland and its donors to launch the Community Builder Program.

“On behalf of Seaspan and our sister company Southern Railway, we’re grateful to have a strong United Way partnership to rely on that gets immediate and direct help to those most in need,” said Mark Lamarre, CEO, Seaspan Shipyards.

Overall, they raised and contributed $758,273 to create 13 neighbourhood hubs throughout southern BC. Each hub was coordinated by a community builder who mobilized volunteers, provided triage services, and leveraged their relationships to connect vulnerable people with the help they needed during the early and successive stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Support included critical services to seniors, people living with a disability, people living in poverty, single parents, and people with mental health concerns, among others.

In the city of North Vancouver, Seaspan employees also transformed a shipping container into a parklet (pictured above) to enlivening a public space. The parklet features designs by master Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) artist Sinàmkin – Jody Broomfield, whose past collaborations include the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and the Royal Canadian Mint.