The Rotary Club of Ladner's Queen Bee Tea on Mother's Day raised over $1,500 to support bees and people through Delta-based Hives for Humanity.
Hives for Humanity connects people to nature, community and themselves through bees. Bee populations are constantly threatened and so, in turn, is our food production, in Delta and beyond. Those living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside are a marginalized population living in hardship and also under constant threat.
On Mother's Day, 100 people attended the Rotary Club of Ladner's Queen Bee Tea to have fun and raise funds for Hives for Humanity. Thanks to sponsorship by some Rotarians, 17 guests from both the Boys and Girls Club and McKee Seniors Recreation Centre were able to attend at no cost.
Flowers grow throughout Downtown Vancouver and, thanks to Hives for Humanity, bee keeping and honey production provide a sense of fulfillment for people living in the Downtown Eastside.
Building bee hives is an important part of the program and produces honey and other bee products in its local, sustainable economy of people and pollinators. Hives continue to be kept in Delta to support various farm crops.
Hives for Humanity founder and executive director Julia Common and a colleague brought live bees and samples of their honey to taste to the event. Common spoke about the origins of Hives for Humanity, which was founded as a project with her daughter who is a social worker.
Apiarist Paul Van Westendorp also gave a short talk highlighting the plight of the bee population.
