Fight against poverty | A plan against food insecurity comes to fruition

(Montreal) Moisson Montreal joins forces with two organizations in a partnership with Regroupement Partage and Groupe Pro-Vert to counter food insecurity for disadvantaged communities in Montreal. The project aims to bring food together in one place to feed multiple families in need. Activities began this spring with the first seeds that were sown, for the supply of fruits and vegetables.

This is the first initiative of its kind to see the light of day in Quebec. In all, 53 tons of food will be distributed to 300 different organizations in Montreal. If fruits and vegetables are among the main foods, Moisson Montreal wants to be able to offer a wide variety of products, including proteins and dry products, to its customers.

Audrey Renaud, Executive Director of Regroupement Partage, salutes the initiative of Moisson Montréal, which reached out to the two other organizations to bring the project to life. According to her, the lack of partners in a community project represents a risk. She sees a better future when she is surrounded by other organizations to support her. “This partnership is something that is truly unprecedented,” she says.

The project, initiated by Moisson Montreal, started from the common idea that the three organizations had to involve the population in sharing food needs for the entire Montreal community in need. In keeping with the standards of Canada’s Food Guide, the three partners want to capitalize on the particular strengths of each to put forward a solid offer to consumers. The Pro-Vert Group, which specializes in the environment, will thus be able to put forward its agricultural platform, while Regroupement Partage will take care of the food supply, and Moisson Montreal will distribute it.

“We’ve seen it since last fall, the organizations that come here to get their supplies are constantly asking [des fruits et des légumes], says Chantal Vézina, Executive Director of Moisson Montreal. Already there, we have the pulse of the field, we have the reaction of our members, who serve the population. We see that the demand is growing for fruits and vegetables. »

For its part, the Pro-Vert Group has been campaigning for 25 years in the field of citizen involvement in agriculture. For its general manager, Nicole Bastien, the problem of food insecurity in Montreal is a fundamental issue, and she did not hesitate to join the project from its conception, in 2020. For her, it was essential to combine her three fields of expertise, namely agriculture, revitalization and the circular economy within the framework of this project.

The operation surrounding this project should come into force this summer, and will begin in the form of a pilot project for a period of one year. The three businesswomen hope that everything will go well, which will allow the project to continue.

The dignity of food

In addition to supplying the largest number of food banks on the island of Montreal, the project led by Moisson Montreal will bring together a diversified food offer under one roof. Organizations, especially those that don’t have as much means, will no longer have to go to different places to fill their food bank. The food will also be kept in a refrigerator to ensure its conservation throughout the year, and not only during the production season.

“So people have [produits] fresh and local,” says Audrey Renaud of Regroupement Partage. It’s not because they don’t have money that they don’t have the right to the dignity of eating these products. »

government assistance

The provincial Minister of Social Solidarity and Community Action, Chantal Rouleau, was present alongside the three organizations at the time of the announcement on Friday. She unveiled $25,000 in support from the Quebec government for the initiative. This boost was welcomed with great gratitude by Moisson Montreal.

The three organizations agree that the long-term challenge will be to adopt a vision that goes beyond the simple city of Montreal. Audrey Renaud indicates that she has already received calls from regional organizations to implement a similar model in small communities in Quebec, including the Laurentians, Lanaudière and Estrie, among others.