Checking in with the Memphrémagog food bank

Over the course of the last year, 1,300 people from 700 families, including nearly 300 children, have benefited from the food distribution services of the of the Memphremagog food bank (Banque alimentaire Memphrémagog, or BAM). During its Annual General Meeting held on June 15, the president, Michel Morisset, thanked more than 20 suppliers who donated 145,824 kg of food this year.

Despite the ongoing health crisis, BAM has been able to count on more than 50 volunteers who provided more than 2,400 volunteer hours to support the team of food bank employees, particularly in the warehouse and the social grocery store areas. We were also fortunate to have volunteer drivers to collect food from food partners and deliver food aid baskets to users who could not come to the food bank directly.

In a press release issued shortly after the AGM, BAM general manager, Andrée Gagnon, underlined the significant role that the financial support of several organizations played in allowing her organization to develop new and specialized projects such as the supermarket recovery program. This particular project relied heavily on the participation of the Metro Plus Plouffe of Magog as well as the support of the CIUSSS de l’estrie-chus, and a large number of donors.

A new service, the “Départ Canon” project, was set up in the winter of 2021. It is specifically designed to serve families with children aged 0 to 5 years of age in the Memphremagog MRC with the exceptional support of 22 entrepreneurs from the Beauce Entrepreneurship School. A crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help the BAM meet the growing demand for food aid and optimize its operations and equipment. The BAM will thus offer two food aid distributions per month to registered families in order to meet the children’s needs by providing them, among other things, with more fresh produce. A delivery service will be available free of charge if needed.

“We will always be there to help people and families who live with food insecurity in the MRC de Memphrémagog and it is together that we will be able to make a difference in the life of these adults and children,” Morisset underlined.

According to Gagnon, the BAM has a particular interest in outreach to the local English-speaking population both with regard to its “Départ Canon” project and in terms of the other services of the organization.

More information on the work of the organization is available online (in French) at https://banquealimentaire. ca/ or by calling 819-868-4438