The funded project will promote better regional mobilization and consultation between the different organizations in Estrie while prioritizing local purchasing of foodstuffs. Moisson Estrie and Moisson Granby will receive $500,000 the first year followed by two amounts of $250,000 in 2025 and 2026.
“What this will above all allow is to strengthen the capacity to act of community organizations throughout the territory,” estimates the general director of Moisson Estrie, Christian Bibeau. We want to increase the quantity of food that we are able to redistribute.”
“These foodstuffs are often purchased by the organizations themselves on a small scale. If we are able to provide them with a larger share, it is money that they will be able to reuse to consolidate their mission or to help more people in their respective communities.”
“This is the most important outcome of our project.”
— Christian Bibeau, general director of Moisson Estrie
For the general director of SOS Dépannage-Moisson Granby, Patrick St-Denis, the financing was necessary, especially in a context where demand increased by 20 to 30%. “The amount allocated will allow us to keep the service afloat despite the increases we are experiencing.”
“We see it every day. People we have never seen and even people we saw seven or eight years ago in food banks who are coming back because of this context,” underlines Mr. St-Denis.
“Before the pandemic, we didn’t see people employed. Since the pandemic, these people have had a hard time arriving.”
— Patrick St-Denis, general manager of SOS Dépannage-Moisson Granby
In the majority of cases, he also notes, people ask for “short-term” repairs during a difficult period.
In 2023, Moisson Estrie has “redistributed $15 million in food throughout the region” while Moisson Granby has invested “nearly nine million in money” for its services.
Even if the funding granted will be added to their budgets, it is currently difficult to estimate how much additional food will be accessible to the 115 community organizations, indicates Mr. Bibeau.
Several elected officials, including Sherbrooke mayor Évelyne Beaudin, Saint-François MP Geneviève Hébert and Richmond MP André Bachand, were present at the Moisson Estrie premises on Thursday morning. (Jean Roy/La Tribune)
“Work together”
To arrive at this project, a meeting was held last year in Jouvence involving 120 stakeholders in the sector to target the main issues linked to food insecurity in Estrie and work on a long-term perspective.
“Having all these people in the same room who said “we want to work together” is major,” says Christian Bibeau.
“This mobilization, this consultation, is as important as the commodity.”
— Christian Bibeau, general director of Moisson Estrie
The region’s organizations reiterated during this meeting their interest in increasing their order. A feeling that had been communicated several times to Moisson Estrie and Moisson Granby with the needs skyrocketing.
Mr. Bibeau is not closing the door to another request for funding in the future from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We don’t want to go get money just to redo what we’re doing. When we go to get money, we will be at another stage.”
“Financial needs will always be present. On the other hand, the more we are organized regionally, the more we maximize each dollar we will receive.”
