Hampers of hope: Fighting hunger at Christmas

Registered charity has worked with disadvantaged Montreal families for 20 years

Pierrette Joly helps Montreal’s East-End families fight hunger – in the schools, and from the shelves of an Avenue Marien food bank.

And during the Christmas season, Joly and her volunteers at Action Secours Vie D’Espoir are doing it one holiday hamper at a time.

With Christmas nearly upon us, Action Secours Vie D’Espoir – a registered charity that has worked with disadvantaged families in Montreal’s East End for nearly 20 years – has kicked into high gear, delivering Christmas hampers to those most in need.

This seasonal campaign is just one facet of ongoing community outreach spearheaded by Action Secours Vie D’Espoir – which fights, above all else, for the well-being of children. The organization serves up nearly 1,300 meals a week to a total of six schools in Montreal, and also operates a food bank for needy families every Thursday, in addition to back-to-school and Christmas “share shops.”

“Our mission has always been to fight poverty, and help families in our community facing hard times – with a special emphasis on the well-being of children,” says Joly, the executive director of Action Secours Vie D’Espoir.

Enbridge has helped make the Christmas season a little brighter for some of those disadvantaged families, recently presenting Action Secours Vie D’Espoir with a $5,000 donation for the second consecutive year.

“Action Secours Vie D’Espoir not only assists the most vulnerable members of our community by putting food on their tables – the organization also connects families in Montreal’s East End with other organizations and services that can offer them resources and tools to tackle the challenges they face,” says Eric Prud’Homme, Enbridge’s senior manager of public affairs for Eastern Canada.

“We are thrilled to partner with such a worthy organization.”