by Timothy Edward, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
According to the 2022 census, there are 10,000 homeless people in Quebec, half of which (4,690) live in Montreal.
The local organization Bread and Beyond, which was founded in 2020 in response to an urgent call from local homeless shelters, is aiming to produce and distribute 5,000 sandwiches to homeless people in Montreal — all in one day.
“Together, we can make a sandwich for every unhoused person living in Montreal.”
The Great Sandwich Marathon will take place at Centre Greene in Westmount on Monday, Sept. 16, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with distribution through eight Montreal homeless shelters.
In July, the city announced plans for a public consultation on how Montrealers can better live “harmoniously” with the homeless population, which has grown significantly since the pandemic despite what the city calls the “doubling of resources.”
The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) has been mandated to run the public consultations. The city aims to identify best practices and initiatives to support the vulnerable population and promote social cohabitation when establishing new resources and services. This initiative is at least in part a response to the backlash from Saint-Henri residents when the city’s first supervised drug use site was set up in that neighbourhood last fall.