Facing high demand, NDG food centre reduces meal service hours

The Depot Community Food Centre in NDG has been a pillar in the Montreal community since 1986. Its food bank and free restaurant are open to all Tuesday through Friday.

But program leaders say a shortage of funding and high demand have left the food centre with no choice but to reduce its services.

Renate Betts says demand has more than doubled in less than a year and a half.

“When I first started here, we were serving about 125 to 150 meals a day. We’re now close to 250 to 300 on a really busy day,” said Betts, the Depot’s manager of mobilization, engagement and support.

“That’s led to a lot of burnout. It’s led to a strain on our finances. It’s led to a strain on our volunteers.

“We only see it increasing, so we’ve had to make some choices.”

Beginning next week, the Depot Community Food Centre will close its restaurant on Fridays. Serving meals three days a week instead of four was something the team tried hard to avoid.

“There are a lot of people who is depending on this community for food and for the ‘marchés’ and for the social interaction,” said Rajesh Thomas Vaidyan, who has been volunteering at the food centre for more than two years.

Betts feels there are many misconceptions about individuals who rely on their services.

“We have this notion of poverty in this country that somehow you’ve done something wrong, you didn’t work hard enough,” she said. “You didn’t try hard enough and that’s just not the case. Everybody from every walk of life has come through our doors because they find themselves in it in a time of need.

“We’re talking about eating every day – not luxury cruises – just having a meal. That shouldn’t be a struggle, and yet it is.”

Betts says the reality is that inflation has hit the Depot as much as it has everyone else.

“We talk a lot about housing, but what about grocery and essentials benefits for instance?” she said. “Tax breaks for people who don’t get that many tax breaks to begin with, getting more money in the pockets of Canadians so that they can actually afford to eat every day.

“This is a national problem. It’s not just NDG, it’s not just Montreal. We see this across the country and we need help.”