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Food assistance, our corporate cause
A taste for ending hunger
Because at the SAQ we believe that, before drinking well, it is essential to have enough to eat and because sharing means giving to those in need, we have made food assistance our corporate cause. Whether through our support for Food Banks of Quebec and La Tablée des Chefs or through the SAQ solidarity vegetable garden and the honey from our bees, we are redoubling our efforts to end hunger.
"More than ever, the generosity of Quebecers and our donors is making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. A special big thank-you goes out to the SAQ which, for so long, has been a generous partner of this enormous network for sharing, which provides assistance to hundreds of thousands of people every month."
Boucar Diouf, patron and friend of the FBQ
"We are aware of the pandemic’s impacts of many Quebec citizens and are proud to support Food Banks of Quebec (FBQ). As a government corporation, it is important for us to be present to share and help support society. I am very pleased to present this contribution, the biggest in 11 years of partnership, and I thank our teams and all Quebecers for their support."
Catherine Dagenais, President and CEO of the SAQ
Food Banks of Quebec
A proud partner of Food Banks of Quebec (FBQ), the SAQ organizes several initiatives a year to raise funds for distribution by the FBQ to the 19 regional Moissons and nearly 1,200 community organizations across Quebec. The generosity of our customers and involvement of our employees have enabled the SAQ to donate more than $7,9 million to assist numerous families across the province, including over $2,3 million in 2019.
A $1 donation makes it possible to provide three meals
Through the Supermarket Recovery Program, the FBQ recovers food from supermarket retailers and distributes it through its partner organizations. A $1 donation covers the costs of transporting and storing 1.5 kg of food. As the average portion size for adults is 0.5 kg, a $1 donation is the equivalent of three meals.
Sale of gift boxes in support of FBQ
You can support the cause all year long, as a portion of profits from the sale of gift boxes and wood boxes are remitted to the FBQ.
La Tablée des Chefs
After donating $1M to the Food Banks of Quebec, we continue our efforts to help the thousands of Quebecers finding themselves in a difficult situation, only accentuated by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Our support is translated by a new $50 000 donation this time remitted to La Tablée des chefs, launching an emergency program called Les Cuisines Solidaires.
Thanks to a network of chefs and cooks all over Quebec and to partners in the restaurant and food industry and distribution, La Tablée des Chefs will take advantage of restaurants currently closed to offer an income to cooks and prepare ready meals. The goal with Les Cuisines Solidaires is to stock an emergency inventory of 800 000 portions of shepherd’s pie at the Food Banks of Quebec to be distributed to people in need of meals, and not just food.
The SAQ solidarity vegetable garden
In partnership with the Y’a Quelqu’un l’Autr’Bord du Mur (YQQ) social economy enterprise, a vegetable garden was planted on a parcel of land at our Montréal distribution centre. Last summer, 2,000 square feet were added to the garden, which now spans 12,000 square feet and yielded 689 kg of fruits and vegetables. Part of the production was given for free to the community and another part sold at a lower cost in markets of the Hochelaga-Mercier-Ouest neighbourhood.
Our bees
The SAQ has been working for 4 years with the Alvéole organization, which promotes urban beekeeping. The harvested honey was sold to our administrative centre employees, and the proceeds remitted to the Food Banks of Quebec (FBQ). To this day, over $4,000 were remitted to the organization thanks to this initiative. In addition, $2,335 were also remitted to Centraide and the remaining jars were donated to the Y’a QuelQu’un l’aut’bord du mur (YQQ) organization, which is responsible for the SAQ solidarity vegetable garden. A total of $8,000 were donated by the SAQ to these organizations.
Our cafeterias donate their leftovers
Our cafeterias continued to donate their leftover food to La Tablée des Chefs for redistribution to community organizations in Montreal’s Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Borough and the Quebec City area. Last year, we donated 484 kg of food to Quebecers in need, the equivalent of 1,614 servings.
