Social and Employment
Place
Montréal, Canada
Sponsor
Jean-Claude Lévesque
Grant
28 500 € to the Selection Committee at 2007/10/02
Project leader
Le Garde-Manger pour Tous
"The rounds of Garde-Manger pour Tous are keenly awaited as winter approaches, and they could be vital."
Jean-Claude Lévesque
Since the 1960s, the city of Montréal has suffered from the closure of plants and the deterioration of the regional economic situation. The southwest districts are the most affected, the home of many persons with very low incomes. In 1985, to contend with unemployment and the growing misery of the population, "le Garde-Manger pour Tous" (the larder for all) was created. The primary mission of this association: the distribution of food.
Today, three tons of food are collected daily and redistributed by 24 community organizations of the island of Montréal to centers for battered women, hostels, etc.
Yet the population most concerned by the action of le Garde-Manger are children from six to 12 years old and youths under 18. Thus every day, the association prepares and distributes 2 500 hot and balanced meals to students of 18 schools in Montréal.
Learning to eat healthily
Cooking workshops are also proposed to the families of the disadvantaged neighborhoods of Petite Bourgogne and Saint-Henri to teach them and provide access to healthy food. Other measures are undertaken, like the availability of kitchens for the production of meals served in day camps, and the social and professional integration, via back-to-work programs, etc.
The use of vehicles is one keystone of the daily distribution of meals. One of the four vehicles owned by le Garde-Manger has needed frequent repairs. To forestall problems of even more severe breakdowns detrimental to the food distribution, the association wants to acquire a delivery truck of the Cube type. This purchase, thanks to the 28 500 € grant from the Veolia foundation, will help to optimize deliveries. With a higher capacity than the defective vehicle, it will reduce the number of round trips necessary between the kitchens and the various service points. At the same time, this will improve the working conditions of the association's deliverymen.