Jacob's Well

What Jacob's Well does

Jacob's Well is a registered Canadian charity (Charity Number #884667916RR0001) founded in June 2001 by Pauline Fell in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). The organization operates a single "living room space" at 543 Powell Street, where it hosts five weekly community programs: Games Night (Mondays), Worship Night (Tuesdays), Community Kitchen (Wednesdays), Bible Study (Thursdays), and Coffee Time (Fridays). Community Kitchen dinners gather approximately 50–80 neighbours and friends, and the programs are supported by 30–40 volunteers serving weekly alongside four paid staff members (Executive Director Joben David, Community Coordinator Chris Sundby, Community Administrator Joyce Voo, Community Sustainability Coordinator Anna Panzo). The entity is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors chaired by Alexia Gillespie.

The organization has no proprietary technology, no software products, and no AI capabilities. Its primary operational partnership is with Food Stash Foundation, which supplements food bank supplies for the Community Kitchen. Sub-brands include Door & Table (intimate music-night fundraising events hosted at St. James Anglican Church) and Chris Runs 2.0 (an 800km Vancouver Island fundraising run scheduled for June 26–July 5, 2026). Funding is derived entirely from individual donations, e-transfers, the annual Raise for the Well fundraiser, Door & Table events, and a "Gift of Welcome" giving program; the organization explicitly states it is not funded by any church or public organization.

The business model is donation-driven with no products or services sold. Marketing relies on organic social media (Instagram, Facebook), email newsletters, a Reflections blog, and word-of-mouth. Customer/constituent segmentation is geographic (DTES residents), and the value proposition centers on radical inclusion, mutual friendship rather than transactional service delivery, and a minimum one-year volunteer commitment that creates long-term relational continuity. The organization is single-site (no geographic expansion signals) and operates without parent companies, institutional investors, or government funding.

Name

Jacob's Well

Legal name

Jacob's Well

Website

https://jacobswell.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jacob's Well is a registered Canadian charity operating a single living room space in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, offering weekly community programs (meals, worship, games, Bible study, coffee) to roughly 50–80 neighbours and supported by 30–40 volunteers and four paid staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community fellowship programs
• Faith-based non-profit
• Community kitchen meals
• Volunteer community engagement
• Downtown eastside outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts financial donations from individuals via e-transfer, Vancity direct transfer, and cheques. All donations are tax receiptable.
2. Door & Table Events: Door & Table is a series of intimate music nights and fundraising events hosted at St. James Anglican Church. These limited seating events feature Vancouver artists and help support rent costs for the living room space.
3. Raise for the Well: Annual fundraiser where participants create their own teams to support Jacob's Well.
4. Gift of Welcome: Donations can be made in the name of a loved one as a meaningful gift, with tax receipts issued.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jacob's Well operates a physical "living room space" at 543 Powell Street in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, hosting weekly community gatherings including Games Night, Worship Night, Community Kitchen, Bible Study, and Coffee Time. The organization delivers in-person friendship-building programs to neighbourhood residents, supported by a volunteer program requiring a minimum one-year commitment.

Product overview

Jacob's Well is a faith-based non-profit organization that operates as a community living room space in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Rather than a technology product company, it offers community programs and services including weekly gatherings (Games Night, Worship Night, Community Kitchen, Bible Study, Coffee Time, Prayer), educational workshops, volunteer programs, and fundraising events. The organization does not operate a software platform but provides in-person community support services focused on friendship-building and mutual transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Door & Table: A series of fundraising events and intimate music nights in support of Jacob's Well, hosted at St. James Anglican Church in the DTES.
• Chris Runs 2.0

Products and services

• Weekly Community Programs Regular weekly gatherings forming the core rhythm of community life: Games Night (Mondays), Worship Night (Tuesdays), Community Kitchen (Wednesdays), Bible Study (Thursdays), and Coffee Time (Fridays), open to all neighbourhood residents.
• Door & Table A series of intimate music nights and fundraising events held at St. James Anglican Church in Vancouver's DTES, featuring local artists, with a portion of each ticket tax-receiptable to support Jacob's Well.
• Workshops Educational workshops such as the Friendship at the Table Workshop and Linocut Art Workshop, providing learning and skill-building opportunities for community members.
• Volunteer Program A volunteer program requiring a minimum one-year commitment in which 30-40 volunteers serve weekly to participate in friendship-building work and share life with the Downtown Eastside community.
• Reflections Blog & Conversations A collection of blog posts and conversation series covering topics related to community life, faith, and experiences at Jacob's Well.
• Donation Programs Multiple giving options including financial donations (e-transfer, Vancity direct transfer, cheques), the Raise for the Well annual fundraiser, Give a Gift of Welcome donations in someone's name, and item donations from a wishlist.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50-80 community members gather for weekly Community Kitchen dinners
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Food Stash FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Stash Foundation delivers produce to supplement what Jacob's Well receives from the food bank for their weekly Community Kitchen program. This partnership enables the community meals by providing fresh produce that volunteers and neighbourhood friends use to cook together.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Union Gospel Mission: Faith-based non-profit operating in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside providing meals, shelter, and community programs to people experiencing poverty and homelessness. Closely comparable to Jacob's Well in faith orientation, DTES footprint, meal programming, and donation-based funding model.
• Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society: Indigenous-led non-profit in Vancouver's DTES providing cultural, community, and social programs for Indigenous peoples. Comparable as a DTES-anchored community-services organization, though culturally rather than faith-rooted.
• Mission Possible: Faith-rooted non-profit operating in Vancouver's DTES providing employment training, meals, and community programs to people facing marginalization. Comparable in faith orientation, DTES focus, and integrated meal-plus-community-service model.
• First United Church Community Ministry Society: United Church-affiliated non-profit serving Vancouver's DTES with community meals, drop-in programs, housing support, and spiritual care. Directly comparable to Jacob's Well in faith-rooted community programming, DTES geography, and weekly meal-service offerings.
• The Door Is Open: Christian community ministry in Vancouver's DTES offering weekly meals, drop-in space, and friendship-based outreach. Comparable in faith identity, relational rather than transactional service model, and DTES community-meal programming.
• A Place of Refuge Society: Faith-based recovery and community non-profit in the Greater Vancouver area offering residential and outreach programs to people facing addiction and homelessness. Comparable in faith orientation, relational care model, and serving populations similar to Jacob's Well's DTES community.

Broad incumbents

• Lookout Housing + Health Society: BC-wide non-profit providing housing, health, and community services to vulnerable populations including in Vancouver's DTES. Comparable in serving the same marginalized demographic but operates at significantly larger scale and is not faith-rooted.
• PHS Community Services Society: Large Vancouver-based non-profit operating housing, harm reduction, and community services across the DTES and beyond. Comparable as a DTES-anchored community-services operator but materially larger and more clinically oriented than Jacob's Well.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Vancouver: Faith-based non-profit providing community meals, refugee support, and social services across Greater Vancouver including DTES programming. Comparable as a faith-rooted community-services organization but with institutional denominational backing Jacob's Well lacks.
• YWCA Metro Vancouver: Large regional non-profit serving vulnerable women and families across Metro Vancouver including DTES programming. Comparable as a community-services non-profit but with broader geographic scope and a different demographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jacobswellyvr
• Instagraminstagram.com/jacobswellyvr
• Xx.com/jacobswellyvr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacobswellyvr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jacob's Well