JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West
As the cost of living and food prices continue to rise, several local community organizations have expanded their offering in an attempt to curb the issue of rising food insecurity in the West Island, including the non-profit Corbeille de Pain which is expanding its Solidarity Markets initiative, bringing fresh produce and other food products to more locations in the region.
The organization added Dorval to the list of West Island cities hosting the markets that employ a “pay-what-you-can” model, giving some relief to shoppers facing financial difficulties, and a “pay it forward” feature to encourage individuals with more financial stability to add a few extra dollars to their bill to cover some of the cost of the goods for others who can’t afford them.
“The markets are really for everyone,” said Anik Vigneault, communications coordinator for the Corbeille de Pain. “Those who can afford to go to the supermarket, we encourage them to also come because then they can help out other people in their community that way.”
The market’s first day received an impressive response from local residents, Vigneault said.
“We actually had more people show up to the one in Dorval than the first one that we did in DdO last year,” Vigneault explained, adding that the Royal Dixie Park location “was really quite accessible to a lot of apartment buildings. So that was great. A lot of people were able to come on foot, for those who don’t have access to a car.”
The group has also extended the operating hours of existing weekly markets in Pointe Claire, Pierrefonds and Dollard des Ormeaux.
The markets offer fresh fruits and vegetables from farms within a 50-kilometre radius of the West Island, but also offer bread, eggs, maple syrup, preservatives and dried goods.
“I really would encourage people who can afford to pay a little extra” to do so, said Dorval Mayor Marc Doret on Monday. “Even if it’s $1, $2, $5, pay a little bit extra. The money stays within Corbeille de Pain and it pays for the people who use the option of paying what they can.”
Doret said he had begun discussions with Corbeille de Pain just over two years ago to bring the solidarity markets to Dorval. He explained that expanding this initiative is welcomed as food insecurity becomes increasingly prevalent.
“Prices keep going up,” Doret said, adding that food insecurity is becoming a concern “for everybody. Even for the average working family it’s a big concern.”
Non-profit organizations focused on combating food insecurity have witnessed the growing issue firsthand.
“The last 18 months have been terrible,” said Suzanne Scarrow, executive director for the non-profit West Island Mission, a food bank based in Dollard.
She explained that her organization has gone from serving 250 households to more than 450.
“It’s mostly people on fixed income, but a lot of it is pensioners, and a lot of it is single males,” Scarrow said.
For the past decade, the West Island Mission has attempted to bolster summertime support for charitable donations to combat food insecurity with its campaign titled “Hunger doesn’t take a vacation.” This summer, the organization added three new donation stations in Baie d’Urfé, located at the community pool, tennis club and yacht club. A group of youths will be collecting the donations of non-perishable goods and hygiene products from these stations and bringing them to the West Island Mission throughout the summer.
While Doret is happy with his city hosting four solidarity markets this year, he is hopeful the number will be increased to 17 by next summer – the number of market days already in operation in Pointe Claire, Pierrefonds and Dollard.