A blue bus will be in Aldergrove Sunday, Oct. 20, handing out hot soup, sandwiches, and coffee to people living on the streets and those of low income households. 

The initiative began in 1988 in downtown Vancouver by David Poulette, who bought the bus for sale from a nearby church and converted it into a mobile food bank and soup kitchen. 

In his free time, Poulette aimed to speak with youth about what they needed and resources available to support them through faith. But what he found was they were more willing to talk over a meal. 

"I was telling a friend [this] and he jokingly said, 'the church is selling their bus, why don't you buy that and fill it with food.' And I thought, why not?" Poulette told The Star. 

His first night, he recalls serving about 50 people on Granville Street and its only grown since. 

"Sometimes we had over 500 people in our lines," Poulette said. 

In 2007, he followed people living with homelessness who were pushed into the Fraser Valley and has remained in Aldergrove and Abbotsford since. 

"It's been quite a big change. When we first came out here, we had sometimes up to 200 people, and now we're serving around 100 people. So, numbers are decreasing because of all the effort being put into the housing first model and getting people into housing with wrap-around support," Poulette noticed. 

But the blue bus clientele has shifted to primarily single moms, seniors, some runaway teenagers, and immigrants. 

"We also see, what we call, the 'working poor.' So that's the people who have jobs but don't make enough money to buy food and pay rent at the same time," Poulette said. 

"There's also some with addictions, which plays a big role, as well as brain injuries. So people with mental health concerns are also [part of] our clientele." 

Since moving to Aldergrove, Poulette has partnered with 91原创 Meals on Wheels to help feed people. 

The blue bus operates 11 months of the year, from September to July, taking August off so volunteers can rest. 

Its next visit is in downtown Aldergrove on Sunday, Oct. 20, near the plaza at 3:30 pm. 

The bus alternates weekly between Aldergrove and Abbotsford.

The blue bus also hosts a full turkey dinner for Christmas. 

Poulette said anyone with questions or donations can contact him at 604-728-7551. 

More information can be found online at