The call for solidarity launched on Saturday by the mayor of Longueuil bore fruit on Sunday; many citizens, as well as businesses, mobilized to restock the Saint-Lambert warehouse where foodstuffs collected by the Grande Guignolée of the South Shore media were stolen.
• Read also: “It’s absolutely despicable”: donations collected during the Grande Guignolée of stolen media in Saint-Lambert
Citizens even traveled from Montreal to make donations, while members of the organization also wanted to help people in need.
“It’s the least we can do after what we’ve heard, the theft and all. It’s a time of year when we have to share, so I thought I’d come and bring a box here,” explained Jean-Marie Girard, the collection manager for the South Shore Media Guignolée.
This citizen mobilization comes after a call for solidarity from the mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, who deplored on Saturday on her Facebook account the theft of food, which allegedly occurred on the night of December 27 to 28.
“In total, 50 boxes containing food, new clothes and baby products were stolen without scruple, at the expense of poor families. It’s absolutely despicable,” she wrote.
In an interview with TVA Nouvelles on Sunday, Mayor Fournier said she was “shocked” by this theft.
However, she was delighted to learn “that there is a surge of solidarity, that people are responding to the call and that very many of them are doing so.”
The theft and vandalism of approximately 50 boxes out of 400 dealt a heavy blow to certain organizations.
“My God, let there be no thefts like that for people who are in need. “It’s not the time to take food out of their mouths, frankly, it doesn’t make any sense,” said Denyse Harvey Bédard, president of Action Dignité Saint-Hubert.
TVA News
The instigator and president of the Guignolée for 22 years, Jean-Marie Girard, estimates the total value of the stolen goods at around $10,000.
People who wish to donate can do so until January 15 by clicking here.
Those who would like to make a material donation by going directly to the warehouse can call 514-993-2657 at any time to ensure the presence of volunteers.