Montreal, April 8, 2024 – While for most of us spring brings a feeling of renewed energy and optimism, for thousands of Quebecers the return of warm weather changes nothing about the food insecurity they experience every day. To help meet their needs, the SAQ will donate a meal to Food Banks of Quebec (FBQ) for every Quebec product its sells between April 11 and 17, 2024. Customers who want to contribute more will also be able to make a donation at the checkout counter.

Constantly evolving demand

The number of requests for food assistance has grown steadily for several years now, and the latest data paint an increasingly dire picture. It may be a neighbour, friend, co-worker or family member who has been forced to join the growing ranks of those who rely on outside resources in order to get enough to eat.

  • Since 2022, the number of requests for food assistance fulfilled each month has increased 14% to 2.6 million.
  • In four years, the number of food baskets distributed has doubled to nearly 682,000.
  • All services combined (food baskets, meals and snacks), more than 870,000 persons currently receive assistance each month. 

Drinking well comes after getting enough to eat 

It was in 2011, when the FBQ network sounded the alarm about the crying lack of resources, that the SAQ became aware of the scale of the needs to be met and decided to make food assistance its main corporate cause. Due to the generosity of its customers and involvement of its employees, more than $18 million has been raised for the FBQ in the years since, including more than $2.6 million last year, enabling the organization to assist large numbers of families across Quebec.

In addition, the SAQ has partnered with the Tablée des chefs for 15 years now and more recently became involved in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough in eastern Montreal, where its head office is located, by collaborating with the Cuisine collective Hochelaga Maisonneuve (CCHM). Working with this organization deeply rooted in the community, we have helped create a kitchen garden and a large greenhouse in operation more than 10 months a year. All the produce from the garden and greenhouse goes toward feeding people in the borough.
 
To learn more about these initiatives, listen to the following episodes of our Sous le bouchon podcast (in French only): CCHM: Cultivating community,  Food Banks of Quebec and Heartfelt partnerships.

About Food Banks of Quebec
The Food Banks of Quebec (FBQ) network is present throughout Quebec with its 32 regional members, many of which operate under the Moisson banner. They provide nutritious foodstuffs to nearly 1,300 community organizations that deliver food assistance to more than 870,000 persons a month. Since 1988, the FBQ has made it possible for resources, expertise and information to be pooled in order to fight food insecurity and alleviate hunger among vulnerable populations. https://banquesalimentaires.org/en/