A COMMUNITY

SPRING 2016

The NDG Food Depot has been a collaborative community leader in food security serving NDG and the surrounding areas for nearly 30 years. In addition to providing emergency food, we work to address the root causes of poverty and hunger in our community.

Our approach is to first meet basic food needs for families and individuals with inadequate incomes, and then, through program-ming, work to build knowledge and skills, access to fresh healthy food and community support networks to address underlying issues contributing to the food insecurity of our participants. All our services prioritize dignity and mutual respect.

To better serve our community, the Depot recently merged with two local food security organizations, Action Communiterre and Boite à Lunch. The NDG Food Depot now offers programming in three key areas, Food Access, Food Skills and Urban Agriculture.

"I want to tell you about the transformation I’ve seen here. Before people had their heads down and felt they had hit bottom. Now the place is exciting—people are conversing, good food is served and it’s a good experience. I feel a real sense of community—people aren’t judged, and feel part of things."

THE NEW

Creating a sense of community and breaking social isolation while sharing good healthy food

Building skills in growing, cooking, serving and composting food

Increasing access to and advocating for fresh, nutritious and affordable food for all

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2.

3.To improve the lives of people living in poverty by:y:

The NDG Food Depot is recognized as a Good Food Organization by Community Food Centres Canada and is the recipient of the Agnes Higgins and Greater Montreal Community Awards.

-A DEPOT VOLUNTEER AND PARTICIPANT

-A DEPOT VOLUNTEER AND PARTICIPANT

BY THE NUMBERS

We procure, transform and distribute healthy whole foods in a variety of ways, prioritizing access and dignity for our most vulnerable community members. We also provide market opportunities for local farmers and producers.

Last year we distributed almost 15,000 food baskets to families, individuals and seniors in our community.

Our baskets are offered twice a week and are centred around choice and an abundance of fresh, healthy food.

Our home delivery program delivers tailored baskets to over 75 seniors living with a loss of autonomy.

in our territoryfood deserts4

“Coming here for something to eat has saved me from becoming homeless. It is so clean, friendly and welcoming here – I am very grateful for the help.” - A PARTICIPANT

“Coming here for something to eat has saved me from becoming homeless. It is so clean, friendly and welcoming here – I am very grateful for the help.”

We operate three Good Food Markets. Our Depot Market caters to the whole community and operates year-round. We have relationships with local farmers and pay fair prices for their produce. Our non-profit model ensures that customers get the best prices on fresh fruit and vegetables and our emergency food basket participants receive an additional 20% discount on all items making healthy eating affordable. In the summer, our Depot Market features guest chefs, workshops, tasting opportunities, kids’ activities, music, and tabling from partner organizations.

All proceeds go towards funding satellite markets in two food deserts in NDG. Working with residents and youth, these mobile markets feature culturally-appropriate and locally-grown produce at discounted rates.

3545kg of emergency food participants

are children

“The market has given me a new appreciation for food; you guys are teaching me to pamper myself.”

- A PARTICIPANT AND VOLUNTEER

Last year we served over 15,000 free community meals featuring fresh food and using ingredients found in our emergency food baskets. The Depot has become a space for people to share a meal and participate in their community.

We offer hands-on programming in the Depot kitchen, as well as in schools, community centres, and low-income senior homes to build knowledge, skills networks, and confidence around healthy eating, in fun and interactive ways.

BY THE NUMBERS

“Each time I come I taste new things and try new flavour combinations. It’s a whole new experience. When I come here I eat vegetables. And I like them. Now, instead of red meat at home I prepare vegetables with my rice. I feel healthier.”

- A COMMUNITY KITCHEN PARTICIPANT AND VOLUNTEER

Our Boîte à Lunch after-school program offers educational cooking and nutrition workshops for students from 10 public schools in NDG.

Our 5 weekly elementary school workshops are open to children in grades 4 and 5 and focus on team preparation of healthy recipes that are easy to reproduce at home. 96% of parents report that their child learned new information about nutrition and healthy eating in the workshops.

Our 4 weekly secondary school workshops aim to boost self-confidence and autonomy of teens by working together to produce healthy and sophisticated meals. 75% of teens report that they repeated or have the intention to repeat the recipes at home.

BOÎTE À LUNCH

We offer 6 types of community kitchens that promote healthy eating, develop skills and strengthen networks: workshops in low-income seniors’ homes, cultural cooking, high-level cooking techniques, summer picnics and our weekly Collective Creations. In collaboration with the NDG Seniors’ Council, our Boomer Café drop-in offers a range of wellness activities for older adults, as well as a shared meal.

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AGRICULTURE

COLLECTIVE GARDENS

In gardens throughout NDG, many in food deserts, people of all ages grow food together.

We coordinate NDG’s community gardens. Residents can have their own plot in the city.

We’re growing local and exotic fruits and veggies for our food skills programs and markets.

We demonstrate techniques to grow a variety of organic fruits and veggies in our Depot garden.

Community members plan a garden, grow and harvest organic produce together with expert accompaniment in our collective gardening program.

SESSIONS PER WEEK

COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUAL GARDENS

PRODUCTION GARDEN

DEMONSTRATION GARDEN

We design and offer programming in collective, production and garden classrooms to engage community members with the food cycle from 'grow to throw'.

150+ 1500kg

and counting

BY THE NUMBERS

“Our daughter loves the workshops and tells us so many wonderful things about what she learns. She wants to be healthy and told us we need to eat healthy foods. She doesn’t want to go to fast food restaurants anymore!” - PARENT

Our social economy project, Ça Pousse!, offers educational garden services to schools, hospitals and seniors’ residences. We create custom-designed gardens and raised garden beds, lead workshops and activities for people of all ages and currently work with over 20 institutions in Montreal.

The workshops at our school gardens are directly linked to curricula from daycare to CEGEP. We work with students to teach math and science concepts through designing, planting, harvesting and composting.

Our hospital gardens are specifically designed to be used by therapists for both physical and horticultural therapy, for rehabilitation from strokes or cog-nitive digression. Our gardens at seniors’ residences are built in raised beds so that they are accessible to people in wheelchairs or with reduced mobility and our trained facilitators can adapt the workshops to all abilities.

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“The students loved the workshops on herbs! They brought them home and cooked with their families and were so excited to share their experiences with the class!” - TEACHER

students benefitted from

Our Resource Hub offers social, administrative and communications

support across all our programs

at ourreference desk

Every person who enters the Depot for emergency food is welcomed initially by our social worker, or a volunteer trained by our social worker for a confidential interview with the goal of listening, supporting and referring new participants to services at the Depot and within the greater community.

The Depot depends on over 800 volunteers per year to help run our programs. This translates into more than 14,000 hours! Many of our volunteers are participants in our programs.

Every Monday and Friday during our emergency food basket distribution, community partners and volunteers give one-on-one confidential counselling on housing, employ-ment, immigration and legal rights.

1ST ASSESSMENTS

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

REFERENCE KIOSK

Twice-yearly, our social worker meets with participants for follow-up interviews to continue to provide support and referral services. Last year, our social worker devel-oped 12 case studies taken from these second assessments to help us better under-stand the needs of our community.

2ND ASSESSMENTS

“Thank you for everything you have done personally for me – my taxes, helping with food and even getting my two cats spayed – you have made a big difference in my life”

-A PARTICIPANT

-A PARTICIPANT FINANCIAL AND OTHERSELF-GENERATED

DONATIONS

PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS

OTHER GRANTS

PUBLIC

PROJECTED ANNUAL BUDGET 2016 - 2017: $1 750 000

14 000volunteer hours administrative fees

MAJOR PARTNERS

Thank you to Monique Dysrtra at Studio Iris for many of the photos in this brochure.

2146 AV. DE MARLOWE

/NDGFOODDEPOT

INFO@DEPOTNDG.ORG

@NDGFOOD