Flight to the Grande Guignolée of the South Shore media | “People are generous and outraged! »

Andrée, Claude, Manon, Martin, Juliette, Zeyna, Susan, France, Natasha: dozens of volunteers mobilized in Saint-Lambert on Wednesday to collect donations and food for the Grande Guignolée of the South Shore media, victims of a flight at the end of December.

“The population, when we attack the most disadvantaged, children, they wear their hearts on their sleeves,” notes Jean-Marie Girard, responsible for collection for 21 years.

Met on Wednesday evening in the Saint-Lambert warehouse where boxes of food are piling up, the octogenarian is busy with a thousand tasks. He only had half a coffee this morning, he confides. His smart watch rings constantly. The Chicoutimian by origin, Hubertain by adoption, takes the time to speak with each donor, each volunteer.

Food donations are still pouring in, around 5 p.m. “It comes in, it doesn’t stop, it’s been like that all day,” confirms volunteer France Desaulniers. It’s a rolling fire! »

The Grande Guignolée of the South Shore media announced at the end of December that it had been the victim of a theft^⁠ in the warehouse that had been lent to him, in Saint-Lambert. Around fifty boxes of food intended for disadvantaged families were stolen.

Angry citizens of Saint-Lambert decided to organize a second donation drive^⁠ to compensate for losses.

Thousands of dollars in losses

Each stolen box had a value of approximately $200, for a total of $10,000, estimates Herman Champagne, volunteer for Entraide Saint-Lambert, a beneficiary organization of the Grande Guignolée. It was he who launched this second wave of collection.

“When I found out about the theft, I was frustrated! “, he says. On December 7, the day of the Grande Guignolée, he went to Saint-Lambert station to collect donations, in freezing temperatures. “We broke nuts to collect money,” he remembers. But hey, after the flight, we changed sides! »

Once launched, the announcement of this second collection snowballed.

“In six hours, we had 25 volunteers! », enthuses Mr. Champagne.

On Wednesday, at the corners of several arteries in the city, teams brandished signs and cans to collect donations. “I’m really surprised, people are still giving,” says Claude Panneton, in the city center with his partner, Andrée Paradis. Very involved in their community, the couple decided they had time to get involved on Wednesday.

A kilometer further, at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Route 112, Juliette and Zeyna, aged 15, are doing their New Year’s good deed. Volunteering is encouraged in the academic career of these two students in the International Education Program.

“This theft is huge,” Juliette says indignantly. It’s the worst thing you can do. »

“It’s criminal!” », adds Zeyna.

A close-knit community

“People are so generous, and they are outraged! », Estimates the mayor of Saint-Lambert, Pascale Mongrain, met in the Grande Guignolée warehouse on Wednesday evening.

For the mayor, the citizen mobilization to replenish the coffers of the Grande Guignolée is “concrete proof of our sense of community”.

“In Saint-Lambert, we stand together. People help each other, greet each other in the street. It’s a collective effort! »

An effort that affects both citizens and businesses, she adds. At the passage of The Press, Philippe Desmarais, owner of one of the city’s IGAs, had just dropped off non-perishable foods from several grocery stores. More donations were expected the next day. Pharmacies have also planned to contribute, adds the mayor.

Is the warehouse safe from another theft? The police have strengthened their presence and surveillance of the sector, says Jean-Marie Girard.

This Grande Guignolée 2.0 continues until January 15 for in-person and online donations. The harvest will be distributed to around twenty local organizations. Since he took care of the collection in 2002, Jean-Marie Girard estimates that he has redistributed $7.3 million in money, food and other products.