Distributing food, gift boxes to West Island families in need

Several Montrealers braved the cold and snow Saturday morning to go out and help a community organization make a difference this holiday season.

Continuing in their holiday tradition, the On Rock Community Services in the West Island are filling and distributing food and gift boxes to families in need.

Volunteers started at 9 a.m. filling boxes laid out on tables. Each box was marked with a number, representing the amount of people in the family receiving it.

The gift boxes contain toys, a turkey and fresh produce.

All 306 boxes will be hand delivered by the end of the day by volunteers.

Here’s what some people involved had to say.

Open Gallery 6 items

Kim Reid, president of On Rock Community Services

Low-income families want to be able to give their families a Christmas, just like every other family. And those kids need to feel like they’re like every other family.

The cost of living and dealing with food insecurity has become a major issue in most people’s lives.

You know, two years ago, we were serving 200 families. Today we’re serving 306. And it just keeps growing.

This year (the boxes) are helping all kinds of people because there are so many people who are coming to food banks now who never thought they would be coming to a food bank. They have a job. You know, they’ve been doing OK. But as you know, a lot of people live on that ragged edge of disaster.

We try and give enough food to make sense for the amount of people in the family. So here today we’ve got cereal and crackers and toilet paper and Kraft dinner. Potatoes and vegetables are going out. Every family gets a turkey and juice and just good food and a lot of it.

Our main goal is to put a smile on kids’ faces. Yeah, that’s it. It’s just sharing the love, you know? Sharing. We’ve got so much.

Adam Cox-Twardowski, volunteer

It’s a small gesture to go a long way. It’s something that really makes anyone feel good about doing this.

Jim Beis, mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro

For some folks, getting these boxes really will make the difference through the holidays. And it’s thanks to On Rock, their personnel of course, the volunteers and the generous donors in the community that have been able to get all this food together.

Today is a life-changing moment for a lot of folks. And the ones that do participate in this really go back with a sense of purpose, I think, in our community.

I think it really shows the resilience of the West Island and shows the resilience of our community. But it’s also to be understood that it isn’t only during Christmas that families are in need. And so these food banks are working 12 months a year.

It is the moment when people are generous during the holidays, but they also need the support and the food and the donations year-round. So for those that can help, they should do that on a regular basis.