Local groups give free vegetables to Montrealers in need as back-to-school budgets tighten

The first potatoes of the season have just been harvested from the grounds ofBois-de-la-Roche Agricultural Park, located inSenneville, a small village inMontreal's West Island.

Acquired by the city ofMontralmore than 30 years ago, this agriculturalland has only been cultivated since 2015 thanks to the Cultiver l'espoir project, led by Regroupement Partage, in partnership with the social services organizationD-Trois-Pierres.

"The goal is to give back to families in need," said Audrey Renaud, executive directorof Regroupement Partage, a local non-profit organization that provides food security and school supplies to families in need.

"We're giving back more than 800,000 servings of vegetables to the population,"Renaud said.

Four types of vegetables are being offered this year: carrots, potatoes, beets and cabbage.

Before the land, which had been used for farming at the beginning of the last century,could be used to grow food again, it had to be restored.

"It needed a lot of love," saidD-Trois-Pierresexecutive directorBenot Deguire, saying rocks had to be extracted and the land levelled and drained.

Nevertheless, production is increasing year after year. From cultivatingthree and a half hectares of land in previous years, the groups grew that tofive this year. The organizations planto cultivate 10 next year and even 15 in years to come, Deguire says.

Growing demand

Production is growing to keep up with demand for help amid soaring costs.Food prices are rising faster than families' financial means, says Renaud.

This year, she said, almost half the families who showed up for school supplies throughOprationSac dos, were new to the program.

"We find ourselves with a new class of applicants, which is the middle class," said Renaud.

She said the non-profit will need more financial assistance to be able to keep up with demand, explaining thatD-Trois-Pierres has to be paid, despite the lack of a subsidy this year from the Quebec government.

"The bigger we get and the more we want to give away, the more support we'll need from other players, because that means more storage and freezers," said Alexandre Godley, a farm manager atD-Trois-Pierres.

Part of the harvest will be distributed from mid-August onward during OprationSac dos, when school supplies will be distributed to children in some 20 Montreal neighbourhoods, as well as in Longueuil and Saint-Jrme.

Another portion of the vegetables will be sold in grocery stores to finance the project. The bags will bear the Cultiver l'espoirlogo.

"People who buy this producecontribute to the local economy, support food-insecure peopleand eat fresh vegetables," said Renaud.