Faced with increasing demand for food aid, one organization was forced to call the police while distributing baskets on Monday, when citizens rushed and jostled to try to obtain food.
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“People rushed into the doorways, not wanting to listen because they didn't understand because he didn't speak the language. They are very hungry and poor people and they want to ask us for food,” says Nancy Dionne, coordinator of Saint-Roch Collective Cuisine and Life, which has been operating for 30 years. .
This community organization located in Parc-Extension has been providing food aid service every Monday for seven years by distributing food baskets containing dry foods and fresh produce.
Word spread among neighborhood residents, and nearly 500 people, 300 of whom were not members of the organization, came to the distribution room on Monday. Most of them were non-speaking, did not have work permits, and often did not have adequate housing.
The stampede and the number of people were so great that MI She explained that Dion had no choice but to seek help from the police to prevent the “chaos” from getting worse.
Need to survive
“These are people who need food to survive, often within the first six months after arriving in Canada. They are in a precarious situation and represent about 80% of the Parc-Extension population,” adds M.I Dionne, who recalls that Parc-Extension is the poorest neighborhood in Canada.
“Since January, people have been arriving very early, even when it's very cold, and lining up on Monday morning to make sure they get food from when we donate until the donations are finished,” explains M.I Dion, adding that demand is increasing at all levels of the organization.
Lack of resources
But if the demand increases with the increase in the population in the neighborhood, the funding does not follow, denounces the coordinator.
He added: “We are making every effort we can, but our efforts are limited. We can do much more if the budget allows us to because the demand is there.”I Debt.
In addition to funding, the problem also lies in the fact that asylum seekers must wait 21 months before obtaining a work permit in Canada.
“These people cannot work for two months, but they have a family to feed,” she denounces.
The event caught the attention of politicians who contacted the organization.
“We want aid to be more stable and not just when it is urgent. “We have great aid, but it has to be more than that,” asks M.I Debt.
