Combating food insecurity - Society for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary partners with Moisson Montréal to help set up a processing plant

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 1, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The Society for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary and its Board of Governors today announced a strategic investment of $740,000 that will allow Moisson Montréal to provide an additional 3.8 million servings of fruit, vegetables and meat every year to Montréal families in need.

A financial contribution by the 12 Grandes Montréalaises will enable creation of a fruit and vegetable conversion unit compliant with Québec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food standards, as well as purchase of a new refrigerated truck for Moisson Montréal's Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets (FRPS), which will increase the organization's capacity to combat food insecurity. Transformation into cooked portions extends the life of foodstuffs transiting via the food bank and reduces food waste.  

This investment, one of the socioeconomic projects put forward by the Board of Governors of the Society for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary, will guarantee distribution of an additional 2,200 tonnes of fruit, vegetables and meat over the next five years.

By the numbers:

• $740,000 invested in strategic equipment
• New conversion unit with a capacity of more than 1,000 kg/day and 2.3 million additional servings of fruits and vegetables per year
• New refrigerated truck enabling collection of 1.5 million additional servings of meat annually from 25 more supermarkets as part of the FRPS
• 2,200 tonnes of additional foodstuffs over the next 5 years

About Moisson Montréal
A charitable organization founded in 1984, Moisson Montréal is today the largest food bank in Canada. Through its centre for collecting, sorting and distributing emergency food assistance, the organization supplies nearly 1,200 tonnes of food per month to nearly 250 accredited community organizations on the Island of Montreal. In turn, these organizations provide food assistance to 137,000 people, including close to 45,000 children. Moisson Montréal receives funding and supplies mainly through donations. Its operations require the collaboration of nearly 10,000 volunteers each year and, in 2016–2017, Moisson Montréal redistributed about 14.4 million kg of food, representing a total value of $80.3 million. Moisson Montréal was recently named among the “Top 10 Impact Charities of 2017” according to Charity Intelligence Canada, among all Canadian charities rated according to social impact per dollar donated. It has also won four awards for its Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets: the 2017 DUX prize in the Non-Profit Organizations Projects Category, the 2016 Mercuriades Sustainable Development award, the 2015 Novae award for Corporate Citizenship (Supply category), and the 2015 Élixir prize (Coup de Cœur category) from PMI-Montréal. For additional information: www.moissonmontreal.org

About the Board of Governors of the Society for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary

The Board of Governors is a volunteer committee chaired by Monique F. Leroux. It brings together citizens, elected officials and business people driven by a desire to complete sustainable socio-economic projects. Its work forms part of the activities of the Society for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary, whose President is France Chrétien Desmarais. The Board was created at the initiative of the Mayor of Montréal and is a logical continuation of the report A Prosperous and Inclusive Metropolis for Sustainable Development from the working committee on the status of Montréal.

For more information: https://www.375mtl.com/en/socio-economic-projects/

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SOURCE Société des célébrations du 375e anniversaire de Montréal

Society for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary, Isabelle Pelletier, Media Relations, 514 238-4178, [email protected]; Moisson Montréal, Meriam Azzouzi, Communications Coordinator, T. 514 344-4494, ext. 248, [email protected]