annual report 2013

Improving food security for people with insufficientincome,

Increasing access to healthy food,Alleviating social isolation and fostering social

integration of all community members,Educating the public at large about issues of

poverty and hunger.

Our objectives are to reduce thehardship of living in poverty by:

mission statement

The

is a community-basednon-profit organization

that works

NDG FOOD DEPOT

co!aborativelywith other community

partners to address issues of

in NDG and thesurrounding areas.

food security

Executive director’s report

from transition totransformation

2013 was a deeply transformative year for the NDGFood Depot. We not only changed the location ofwhere we do our work but we also altered how we do it.

Intentional efforts to shift from a traditional food bank (simplyhanding out emergency food), toward a more inclusive,vibrantcommunity centre revolving around healthy food, have proven tobe quite fruitful.

We have moved from a pattern of ‘reacting to crises’ to implementing programs and practices that lend to the long-termdevelopment of a food-secure NDG. We have rediscovered thejoys of being together in community and have created a welcoming place that satisfies our human hunger for belonging.

Together we have established support networks that offer peoplethe opportunity to improve physical and mental health, creatingan overall sense of happiness and fulfillment to all who becomeintegrated into our organization. We have made conscious effortsto promote the development of leadership from within our organization, and actively encourage our program participantsto drive change within the community.

We are so proud of the direction our organization has taken, andthrough this report hope to share the results of this concerted effort with you!

executive director

“kimberly martin

The Depot was pleased to continue its collaboration with TransitionNDG over the past year. A new series called “Gatherings to Eat andLearn Together” started up in January, and to date has featured stimulating presentations and conversations concerning Permaculture (led by Graham Calder), The Local Economy includinga Swap (led by Douglas Jack), Rethinking the Food System to EndWaste (led by Max Godber & Cameron Stiff), and the Incredible Edibles project.

Depot and Transition volunteers have also been collaborating to buildself-watering containers and planters for the Depot and SherbrookeStreet.

We look forward to working together to get Cinema Depot operational again, but in the meantime some excellent film and discussion evenings have been organized at Co-op La Maison Verte.

A one time volunt!r, I now work with the team at the

NDG Food Depot, through Emploi Québec’s Action PAAS

Program, helping people work through rough patches

while working through rough patches of my own.

Through the promotion of equal access to food to in-

teracting with staff, volunt!rs, and clients in the

co"unity, my work provides me with a sense of pur-

pose and place within the co!unity.

-an Action- PAAS participant’s story

“ “We have the responsibility to bear witness to the injustices of poverty and advocate for social change.

We continually make efforts to develop an informed and resilient community through collaborative work and information sharing. We know that togetherwe can build effective, well-coordinated strategies to combat hunger and poverty in the community through sharing our innate gifts, resources, andknowledge.

When asked which workshops our program participants would most like to attend, 30.6 percent listed Housing Law as their top choice, followed byWelfare Rights at 29.2 percent, and Cooking Skills at 29.2 percent. We made a concerted effort to prioritize the needs of our program participants,and set up clinics and workshops in collaboration with the NDG Community Council, Project Genesis, and the CSSS to tackle such topics as housingand welfare. The result has been astounding. In the area of housing rights alone, we’ve moved from one-off workshops to having a permanent con-sultant from the NDG Community Council at the Depot to address concerns and answer the community’s housing questions each and every emergencyfood service day.

Transition Movement(Co"unity Partner)

information REFERRAL and co"unity engagement

We believe in developing a wide array of safety nets and educational programs tosupport our members during times of vulnerability and times of balance.

Expanding user-determined programming that responds to a variety of situations faced by our program participants has been the NDG Food Depot’s key to shifting from food bank to all-inclusive community foodhub, and naturally, has become a top priority over the past year.

Each week the Depot’s talented volunteer kitchen crew collaborate to produce a nutrient-rich meal that is servedduring our emergency food service. We have de-segregated our space by creating a service area wheredonors, staff, volunteers and program participants connect over a delicious meal on each service day. This isalso a forum for exchange where community members find out about what’s happening at the Depot eachweek as well as an opportunity to connect to other resources in the community. The goal of this initiative is toprovide a complete and balanced meal – even if it is the only meal of the day for someone – as well as todemonstrate healthy recipe options for what is available from our food baskets. We also believe that effectiveleadership within an organization takes place when everyone engages and when all are invited to participateand feel heard.

We have best put this principle into action in our kitchen. We continue to birth leaders from within the heart ofthe NDG Food Depot through participant-run cooking workshops such as ukrainian cooking, cabbage-rolls,vegetarian proteins, thai food, south-indian cuisine and through our collective kitchens. We weave togetherboth the diversity of our population and our love of good food.

Other important programming that continues to build at the NDG Food Depot: The Boomer Café, the GoodFood Box, Good Food Box/Boite à Lunch picnics, Zero Food Waste, Home Delivery, Cinema Depot, UrbanGardening. For more information about these programs, please visit our website at www.depotndg.org.

The NDG Food Depotdoesn’t just f!d mystomach, it also nourishes my soul… as I transition from povertyto philanthropy

– Lynn B!Program Participant and volunt!r

“ “good food for a"

emergency food program

We strive to develop an inclusive organization that isaccountable to all stakeholders.

The year 2013 brought about an extensive review of our emergencyfood program, through consultation with our program participants,community members, staff and volunteers. The results of this reviewtranslated into conscious and deliberate changes to our programming.

We recognize that good nutrition is essential to human health and de-velopment, so we are making concerted efforts to bring the best qualityfood to those participating in our food-based programming.

In response to seventy-three percent of our program participants’ request toincrease the amount of fresh food in the emergency basket,we’ve doubled our weekly purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables, pro-viding our community members with a greater selection of nutrient-dense food options.

Everyone is potentially vulnerable and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and our practices reflect this belief. In order tomeet the needs of our ever-changing community, we have made significant adjustments to our emergency food distribution system. Theyear 2013 introduced a more respectful physical set-up of our food distribution service that included a café-style waiting room completewith healthy snacks and coffee, a free book exchange area, a ping-pong table and info & referral desk.

The most noteworthy change to the emergency food program was theintroduction of a new method of food distribution. Our new set-up allows program participants to make their way through an open areaof volunteer-staffed tables filled with nutritious food selections andchoose each individual item of food for their basket. When surveyed,eighty-four percent of program participants said they preferred this newmethod of food distribution and expressed that it felt ‘more organized,respectful, efficient, fair, and good to be able to interact/haveconversation with volunteers’.

Over the past months wonderful things have blossomedhere in our midst.

Newly-minted chefs in our cooking programs have stepped in tolead how-to classes. Amateur gardeners share their planting knowledge with hopes for bountiful harvests to enjoy in comingmonths. People picking up food baskets are happy to choose fromfresh produce for their families. We can all savour the benefits of ashared meal and see the smiling faces enjoying a delicious soupmade from scratch. Fundraising has enabled these programs to takeroot and now we can envision what our forever home must have – aspotless, functional kitchen, room for community meals and events,workshop areas and outdoor space for demonstration gardens. Let’sall take this opportunity to invest in the health and well-being of all community members.

Donations made now will seed the creation of a thrivingfood centre to nourish our community into the future.

building capacity for social change

For information on how you can personally contribute forlasting social change, please contact Bonnie Soutar 514-483-4680 x200 or donate now at CanadaHelps.org.

72, 489individual days

worth of groceries

694new families

registered for baskets

12, 685baskets were distributed

In 2013,

Last year at this time the Food Depot was in turmoil, scram-bling to find a new home after having to leave our old one ofover twenty years.

We have moved twice within the same year and have met many roadblocks in our search for permanent space within the community. We aregreatly indebted to Trinity Church for opening up its doors to us duringthis time of change. This has not only allowed us to continue running our emergency food service program, it has given us the opportunity to develop our cooking workshops, information and referral program, andcommunity meal initiative.

The resilience of our hard-working staff and volunteers, and the ongoingstrong support of the community is why the Depot continues to flourishdespite the hardships and stress of the past year. When I first becameinvolved with the Depot over 10 years ago, we had one full time and onepart time employee. It’s incredible how much we’ve grown over the years,and become much more than an emergency food resource. I invite youto read on and find out about our programming and our people, and theinroads we have been making.

On a personal note I will be stepping down from my position as Presidentof the Board of Directors this coming June, as will long-serving boardmembers Lesley Winter and Bill Hlibchuk. We all remain committed tothe mission of the Depot. We have a very strong Board of Directors andI am confident that the road ahead will be an exciting one for the Depot.

I will take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you, volunteers,staff and the community, for your continued support.

You are what makes us a true community food depot.

president’s letter

Board of Directors: Lynda Porter (President), Robyn Dalton (Vice-President), Robert Fiori (Treasurer), Andrew Churchill (Secretary)

Directors: Robert Dupont (until December 2013), Lorne Granofsky, Bill Hlibchuk,Johnny Hlibchuk, Lea Anne Hogan (until January 2014), Mina La Rocca, Peter McQueen (until September 2013), Anny Mueller, Lesley WinterHonorary Members: André Biron, Sandra Frosst, Doreen WarrenNominations Committee: Lynda Porter (Chair), Robyn Dalton, Johnny Hlibchuk, BillHlibchukHuman Resources Committee: Robert Fiori (Chair), Robyn Dalton, Lea Anne Hogan,Kim MartinFood Drive Committee: Lynda Porter (Chair), Robyn Dalton, Kim Martin, Lesley WinterSpace Committee: Andrew Churchill (Chair), Lorne Granofsky, Mina La Rocca, KimMartin, Anny Mueller, Lesley WinterFundraising Committee: Johnny Hlibchuk (Chair), Bill Hlibchuk, Lea Anne Hogan,Bonnie Soutar

-Lynda Porterpresident, board of DIRECTOR’S

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We’re here! The NDG Food Depot is located at 2146 Marlowe Avenue

Please send donations to:NDG Food Depot

P.O. Box 22528, Monkland Post OfficeMontreal, Quebec H4A 3T4

OUR TEAM

Current Staff: Kim Martin (Executive Director), Bonnie Soutar (Director of Fundraising & Development), Susan Munro (Community Outreach Coordinator), Matt Duquette (Distribution Coordinator), Kim Fox (Workshop& Kitchen Coordinator), Katie McGroarty (Administrative Coordinator), Nicolas Braesch (Driver), David Lekx, TIna Gaudet, Mathieu GouletPast Staff: Peter Butler, Intake & Volunteer Coordinator (until 03/14), CynthiaAngrave (Workshop & Cooking Coordinator until 11/13), Rod Wilson, (Distribution Coordinator until 08/13)Summer Students, Student Interns & General Support: Kathy Aitken, EdyBlack, Sarah Lebeau, Jennifer Martineau, Camelia Melillo, Richard Mercier,Max Rocchi,

our supporters

Claudine & Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation, Jewish Community Foundation,Community Partners, Action communiterre, Bienvenue à NDG, Coop la maison verte,CROM-West Montreal Readaptation Centre, CSSS Cavendish, CTV Montreal, ForwardHouse, Loyola High School and Alumni, Monkland Street Fair, Montreal West Scouts,NDG Art Walk, NDG Coalition for Food Security, NDG Community Council, NDG SeniorCitizen’s Council, Off the Wall Film Fest, Transition NDG, Trinity Anglican Church, Wesley United Church, YMCA Impact Program

Centraide du Grand Montreal, Moisson Montreal, PSOC- Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires, Ville de Montreal, Foundation of Greater Montreal, Lindsay Memorial Foundation, Tenaquip Foundation, Whitestar Foundation, Zeller Family Foundation

Empty Bowls, Hay Foundation, Royal Canadian Legion 24-106, Unitarian Church,American Women’s Club, BMO Nesbitt Burns, Bust a Move, Café 92 Degrès, CaisseDesjardins, Congregation de N.D. de Quebec, Gewurz Family Foundation, Gordon T.Raza, Gryphon d’Or Tea Room, Gustav Levinschi Foundation, Henry & Bernice Kauf-mann Foundation, J.E. Hanger, Johnston Industrial Plastics, J.W. McConnell FamilyFoundation, Maison India, Mazon Canada, Mireille & Murray Family Foundation, North-ern Nitrogen, Polar Box, Power Corporation, Rebox Corporation, Salle de Quilles leForum, Samijo Investments, St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church, St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish,St. Matthias Church, St. Richard’s Parish, St. Philip’s Church, Telus Corporation, YeOlde Orchard Pub, Samijo Investments, Walsh Technical Services, The Wheel Club

co!unity partners

key supporters

major partners

Providing our community members with such a diverse array of nourishing programs is only possible with the collaboration of manypartners and individuals. We are proud to highlight some of them below.

To respect privacy we do not name individual donors, who contributedamounts from $1 to $60,000, for a total of over thirty-three percent ofour revenue.

For a more complete list please go to www.depotndg.org.

Our warmest thanks to a" our supporters!

Charitible # 89132-8007-RR0001Total Number of NDG Food Depot

Members: 441www.depotndg.org

facebook.com/ndgfooddepot