Faced with a sharp increase in food aid requests over the past year, Regroupement Partage set up new services (emergency food aid and the \u201cCultiver l’Espoir\u201d seasonal baskets), reviewed and improved some of its regular programs (Op\u00e9ration Sac \u00e0 Dos and the Christmas thrift stores), and started handing out protective equipment to workers in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agency has been and continues to be a go-to player when it comes to supplying food security agencies in Montreal neighbourhoods that in turn give out food to their own communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This work has led to tremendous success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n \n 250,000 people<\/span>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n are now being helped
through Regroupement Partage\u2019s initiatives <\/span>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n \n 78,000 people<\/span>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n helped annually before
the pandemic <\/span>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Visuel-Texte_Sylvie-Rochette_EN.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cIt was important for us to respond to the needs of the population and neighbourhoods, which were completely overwhelmed and overloaded and didn\u2019t know how to cope. I sat my team down and asked, \u2018Are you on board with this crazy idea of doing everything we can to meet needs?\u2019 Everyone said yes, and a week later we had developed an action plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe succeeded thanks to not only the team’s determination but also the Regroupement\u2019s credibility and support from our partners. Without those things\u2014and without the solid structure we’ve been working on for 24 years\u2014 we wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. We already have things in place in neighbourhoods, so we weren\u2019t starting from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– Sylvie Rochette, Executive Director
Regroupement Partage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Approvisionnement-alimentaire-2-300x155.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nEmergency food aid<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe team initially set up emergency food aid.<\/strong> Without duplicating services, the Regroupement offered food items that were complementary to those provided by large food banks, such as fresh fruit and vegetables and protein. \u201cWe didn’t just give out food; we asked, we listened, and we found solutions to make it easier for agencies to do their work and get food to people.\u201d This initiative has helped 41,000 people in need.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u00a9Facebook – Regroupement Partage<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cultiver-lEspoir-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nCultiver l’Espoir<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe agency then handed out seasonal baskets <\/strong>through its Cultiver l\u2019Espoir <\/strong>program,a large-scale agricultural project in which young people take over tracts of unused land as part of a social reintegration initiative. They grow long-lasting vegetables (carrots, cabbage, rutabagas, beets, potatoes) that are donated in the fall and winter to food banks and community agencies. \u201cRestaurant closures and the lack of some food items at grocery stores has led to a big decrease in the surplus fruit and vegetables that supermarkets normally give to community agencies.\u201d In collaboration with D-Trois-Pierres, Regroupement Partage’s agricultural partner, the agency was able to hand out 6,000 baskets of fruit and vegetables to vulnerable families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u00a9Facebook – Regroupement Partage<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Operation-sac-a-dos-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nOp\u00e9ration sac \u00e0 dos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOp\u00e9ration sac \u00e0 dos,<\/strong> an initiative that supports families at the start of every school year, also had to be adapted. Reusable face coverings and water bottles were added to the regular backpacks, lunch boxes and new school supplies. The food service was scaled up to fill families\u2019 fridges and children\u2019s lunch boxes. This fall, the project will benefit 19,000 people, including 7,000 children. Instead of delivering bulk school supplies to the neighbourhoods as it did in the past, the team took on the task of filling backpacks as another way to lighten the workload of agencies. \u201cThe CSDM helped us transform a school gym into a warehouse. We brought in all the supplies. We set up an assembly line with volunteers, who spent two weeks filling the bags, which we then delivered to the neighbourhoods fully assembled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u00a9Facebook – Regroupement Partage<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nTo round out the year, the emergency winter food service <\/strong>that replaced the 2020 Christmas thrift stores\u2014the agency\u2019s excellent alternative to traditional Christmas baskets\u2014will be available again this year. Thanks to this larger, longer-term program, food was distributed to 63,000 people last winter through about 20 community agencies in as many Montreal neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCentraide has supported Regroupement Partage since its creation in 1997. The COVID-19 Emergency Fund<\/a> and the Emergency Community Support Fund<\/a> supported these initiatives that were developed quickly on the fly thanks to the agency\u2019s invaluable expertise and knowledge in the field. Regroupement Partage is a clear example of the community sector\u2019s credibility when it comes to finding solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n
\n \n are now being helped \n \n helped annually before \u201cIt was important for us to respond to the needs of the population and neighbourhoods, which were completely overwhelmed and overloaded and didn\u2019t know how to cope. I sat my team down and asked, \u2018Are you on board with this crazy idea of doing everything we can to meet needs?\u2019 Everyone said yes, and a week later we had developed an action plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe succeeded thanks to not only the team’s determination but also the Regroupement\u2019s credibility and support from our partners. Without those things\u2014and without the solid structure we’ve been working on for 24 years\u2014 we wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. We already have things in place in neighbourhoods, so we weren\u2019t starting from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Sylvie Rochette, Executive Director The team initially set up emergency food aid.<\/strong> Without duplicating services, the Regroupement offered food items that were complementary to those provided by large food banks, such as fresh fruit and vegetables and protein. \u201cWe didn’t just give out food; we asked, we listened, and we found solutions to make it easier for agencies to do their work and get food to people.\u201d This initiative has helped 41,000 people in need.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9Facebook – Regroupement Partage<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n The agency then handed out seasonal baskets <\/strong>through its Cultiver l\u2019Espoir <\/strong>program,a large-scale agricultural project in which young people take over tracts of unused land as part of a social reintegration initiative. They grow long-lasting vegetables (carrots, cabbage, rutabagas, beets, potatoes) that are donated in the fall and winter to food banks and community agencies. \u201cRestaurant closures and the lack of some food items at grocery stores has led to a big decrease in the surplus fruit and vegetables that supermarkets normally give to community agencies.\u201d In collaboration with D-Trois-Pierres, Regroupement Partage’s agricultural partner, the agency was able to hand out 6,000 baskets of fruit and vegetables to vulnerable families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9Facebook – Regroupement Partage<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Op\u00e9ration sac \u00e0 dos,<\/strong> an initiative that supports families at the start of every school year, also had to be adapted. Reusable face coverings and water bottles were added to the regular backpacks, lunch boxes and new school supplies. The food service was scaled up to fill families\u2019 fridges and children\u2019s lunch boxes. This fall, the project will benefit 19,000 people, including 7,000 children. Instead of delivering bulk school supplies to the neighbourhoods as it did in the past, the team took on the task of filling backpacks as another way to lighten the workload of agencies. \u201cThe CSDM helped us transform a school gym into a warehouse. We brought in all the supplies. We set up an assembly line with volunteers, who spent two weeks filling the bags, which we then delivered to the neighbourhoods fully assembled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9Facebook – Regroupement Partage<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n To round out the year, the emergency winter food service <\/strong>that replaced the 2020 Christmas thrift stores\u2014the agency\u2019s excellent alternative to traditional Christmas baskets\u2014will be available again this year. Thanks to this larger, longer-term program, food was distributed to 63,000 people last winter through about 20 community agencies in as many Montreal neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Centraide has supported Regroupement Partage since its creation in 1997. The COVID-19 Emergency Fund<\/a> and the Emergency Community Support Fund<\/a> supported these initiatives that were developed quickly on the fly thanks to the agency\u2019s invaluable expertise and knowledge in the field. Regroupement Partage is a clear example of the community sector\u2019s credibility when it comes to finding solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
through Regroupement Partage\u2019s initiatives <\/span>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
the pandemic <\/span>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Regroupement Partage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>Emergency food aid<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>Cultiver l’Espoir<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>Op\u00e9ration sac \u00e0 dos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n