by Zenith Wolfe

An MRC des Collines charity is starting a meeting group for immigrant families in the new year despite the organization’s limited activity space in their current office. It just doesn’t know where this space will be.

Maison de la famille l’Étincelle runs youth events and redistributes food to families in need in the La Pêche region. The charity is planning to open Espace Parents in January in Masham as a space for immigrant parents to bond and talk about community issues, such as employability, and will be in collaboration with organizations like Carrefour Emploi des Collines, an employment centre in Cantley.

“We also offer suppers for the parents, and we take charge of their kids to make sure they can enjoy the moment,” says executive director Carolanne Beausoleil.

But Beausoleil says it’s hard to expand their operations in their current office, the La Pêche Sports Complex. 

Maison l’Étincelle has developed plans for a new office in Masham, but construction from the MRC’s multi-year park revitalization project has made them consider temporary office spaces in nearby commercial areas.

The organization’s new office would have a multifunctional basement, a bigger kitchen and a dedicated activity room for children aged zero to five, according to Beausoleil. The charity also wants to install computers, printers, a couch and coffee machines on a main floor.

“If we go and build our house, I estimate that we’ll need around $700,000. But if we move into a house somewhere just for the next few years, it might be less,” Beausoleil says. 

She says that the charity has saved around $130,000 from a Ministère de la Famille grant. She says the organization would make up the remaining cost through fundraisers and various provincial or federal subventions.

Beausoleil says the charity helps feed between 30 to 40 families a week by redistributing unused food from nearby food banks. Maison l’Étincelle also offers a meals-on-wheels program for seniors and people who “lose their autonomy” due to surgery or injury. She says last year they served around 3,800 meals through the meals-on-wheels program, but their waitlist is always full because of consistent demand.

“We want to lower the food waste, of course, because lots of good stuff is going in the garbage,” she says. 

Beausoleil became the charity’s new executive director in April 2024 after Daniel Lafleche stepped down. Beausoleil says she’s volunteered with the charity for many years, and she was the president of the administrative council for the last three years.