Children's Day organized by Moisson Montreal and Moisson Rive-Sud: a huge success!
Spokespersons Élise Guilbault, Olivier Niquet, elected officials and over 300 children unite for this unique family event
MONTREAL, April 8, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - This morning saw the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) host Children's Day as part of the Great Food Drive for Children organized by Moisson Montréal and Moisson Rive-Sud. The event served as an opportunity to raise awareness in the media of the reality faced by children aged five and under who are in need of food within the Greater Montreal area, and show how food banks and their partner organizations provide solutions through the Great Food Drive for Children. A special day for these partner organizations and the general public followed the event all under the theme of "feeding the body and soul." While musical selections from Marc Chagall set the mood, hundreds of toddlers took part in a continuous art workshop followed by a visit of the Chagall: colour and music exhibit offered by the Museum. A light lunch was also served to the children, courtesy of Provigo and Maxi.
On this special day, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts offered 2,000 passes granting free access to all Museum exhibits and collections to the various organizations served by Moisson Montreal and Moisson Rive-Sud which will allow thousands of children in need to benefit from a Museum visit as part of the Coup de pouce aux familles program. Combined with free family weekends offered every Saturday and Sunday, the MMFA continues to stand for accessibility and inclusion regardless of the financial standing of its visitors.
"No one is sheltered from hunger. And when it affects families, it is the future of our children that become compromised. Art represents a vehicle for not only learning but also for bringing families closer together. By providing 2,000 free passes to the Great Food Drive for Children we are ensuring that families, regardless of their situations, continue to inspire and encourage achievement in their children, our citizens of tomorrow, all thanks to art," said Thomas Bastien, Director, Education and Wellness, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
"We are proud to take part in Children's Day with our partners by our side as we support the development of long-term solutions regarding those in need from across the Greater Montreal area. We once again invite people to give generously through April 30 in order to help make a difference in the lives of those who face this challenge every day," explained Lucie Tomé of Moisson Rive-Sud.
"We are thrilled to offer such a unique cultural experience to so many youngsters and their families on Children's Day. It is with great pleasure that we have today combined the strengths of philanthropy and the arts in order to make a greater impact in the community and to answer the different needs of the Greater Montreal area," concluded Richard D. Daneau, Executive Director, Moisson Montréal.
Organizers of this event would like to thank all volunteers and elected officials for being in attendance:
- Mr. Alan DeSousa, FCPA, FCA, Mayor of Saint-Laurent, City of Montreal;
- Mr. Aref Salem, Vice-chair of the executive committee in charge of City public safety and resident services, district of Norman-McLaren in Saint-Laurent;
- Ms. Hélène Laverdière, Member of Parliament for Laurier—Sainte-Marie;
- Ms. Élise Guilbault, Actress and spokesperson for Moisson Montréal;
- Mr. Olivier Niquet, Radio host and spokesperson for the Great Food Drive for Children.
Launched on April 1, the Great Food Drive for Children aims to provide monthly help to more than 20,000 children ages five and under. The goal is to raise $200,000 in donations and 10,000 kg in baby products for families in the Greater Montreal area who are struggling to meet the basic nutritional needs of their children.
The next event on the Great Food Drive for Children calendar will be the "A Chef In Your Home" auction to be held from April 17 to 22. This year, the participating chefs will be Kimberly Lallouz, Marie-Fleur St-Pierre, Antonio Park, Ian Perreault and Étienne Huot. Everyone is invited to bid for their chance to have a meal made and served by one of these celebrity chefs and the highest bidder will also be joined by Élise Guilbault and Marc Labrèche who will help serve their special meal. To take part in the auction, head to: www.encan.granderecolte.com.
About the Great Food Drive for Children
Launched in 2012, the Great Food Drive for Children is an annual fundraising campaign organized by Moisson Montréal and Moisson Rive-Sud. The primary objective of the Great Food Drive for Children is to raise cash donations for toddlers, in order to help feed 20,000 children under the age of five who are living in poverty in the Montreal region.
About the two Moissons
A non-profit organization founded in 1984, Moisson Montréal is the largest food bank in Canada. Through its collection, sorting, and distribution centre for emergency food assistance, the organization allocates nearly 1,000 tons of food per month to 254 accredited community organizations on the Island of Montreal. In turn, these organizations provide food assistance to 137,000 people, including nearly 45,000 children. Moisson Montréal receives funding and supplies mainly through donations. Its operations require the collaboration of nearly 9,000 volunteers each year and result in the redistribution of about 14 million kg of food, representing a total value of approximately $81 million. Moisson Montréal has won three awards for its Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets: the 2016 Sustainable Development Award from Mercuriades, the 2015 Corporate Citizenship Award from Novae (Supply Category), and the 2015 Élixir - Coup de Coeur Prize from PMI-Montréal. For more information, visit www.moissonmontreal.org.
Moisson Rive-Sud (MRS) fuels life by annually distributing more than 4.3M kilograms of foodstuffs, representing more than $20M in market value. This corresponds to over 81,000 requests per month, including more than 12,000 families and 33,000 children. In order to accomplish their mission, they collaborate with 84 accredited organizations, more than 400 precious volunteers and 156 generous agribusiness suppliers. MRS statistics speak for themselves. MRS is the only accredited food bank in the Montérégie region and is always seeking to improve its services for the organizations helping its needy population. The mission of Moisson Rive-Sud is to offer foodstuffs to accredited organizations and support the development of sustainable solutions in order to ensure food security for the population of the Montérégie region. For more information, visit: http://moissonrivesud.org. We also invite you to like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/moissonrivesud.
About the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The MMFA welcomes over one million visitors each year, while being the most-visited museum in Quebec and one of the busiest in Canada and ranked 12th among art museums in North America. With its original productions and temporary exhibits, the MMFA combines all forms of artistic disciplines (fine arts, music, film, fashion, design) and are exported all over the globe. Its robust encyclopedic collection spread across five pavilions including international art, cultures of the world, contemporary art, decorative art and design, as well as Quebec and Canadian art. The MMFA complex also includes the Salle Bourgie - a 460-seat concert hall. The MMFA also serves as one of the most prominent Canadian publishers of art books in both English and French on an international scale. The Museum also has integrated the Michel de la Chenelière international workshop in education and art therapy – the largest of its kind in North America which allows the Museum to implement innovations in education and wellness through art therapy. mmfa.qc.ca
SOURCE MOISSON MONTREAL
For further information: To book an interview with the campaign spokespersons: Émilie Lafond, Projet Manager, SYRUS, T : 514 935-2777, ext. 212, C : 514-652-7680, [email protected]; For further information on the campaign and its activities: Jessica Hallé, Campaign and Sponsorship Manager, Moisson Montréal, 514 344-4494, ext. 238, [email protected]; Information, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Patricia Lachance, Media Relations, MMFA, T 514.285.1600 x 315, C 514.235.2044, [email protected]
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