At our heart, Megaphone’s Vendor Program supports individuals experiencing poverty or homelessness in Vancouver. Each year, we train 150 vendors who purchase our community-driven publications at wholesale cost to sell legally on the street, keeping the profits to supplement their income. The program offers a meaningful, self-determined way to earn income — particularly for those facing barriers to traditional employment such as homelessness, disability, substance use or social exclusion.
Vendors work for themselves: they buy their own product, choose where and when they work and build their own customer base. Our publications are high-quality journalism, photographic and literary works that vendors can be proud to sell. Megaphone staff provide support through trauma-informed, skills-building programs, promotions and community referrals.
Our programs operate out of a Vendor Hub in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) at 312 Main Street. Our low-barrier, non-judgmental hub is where we sell publications to vendors, offer accessible programming, and engage and support individuals experiencing deep poverty in the DTES and across Vancouver.
The sales model is simple. Vendors buy each publication at wholesale cost and sell it on the street, keeping the difference:
- Megaphone magazine — buy for $1.50, sell for $5+
- Voices of the Street anthology — buy for $5, sell for $15+
- Hope in Shadows calendar — buy for $10, sell for $20+
Cash is still king at Megaphone. An immediate cash payment can make a real difference for someone experiencing poverty.
Prefer digital? Each vendor carries a personal QR code on their sales licence, or you can visit our website to pay a vendor directly by searching their name or badge number.
Can’t find a vendor? Give us a call at 604-255-9701.
