With Christmas just two days away, Le Pignon Bleu donated $200,000 worth of food and gifts to 200 families in Quebec on Saturday, giving them peace of mind for the coming weeks.
A few hundred families are in excess of need and may need to be assisted in other ways due to lack of resources.
“Unfortunately, we received more than 500 requests this year. We made the heartbreaking choice to support our usual 200 families without reducing the baskets,” says Roseline Roussel, the organization's general director at the Operation Christmas Baskets event.
He also notes that this is a “huge increase” of about 35% compared to last year, when nearly a hundred people had to find another solution.
“The greatest gift I could ever receive”
Although the current period is very difficult for many, Christine Tremblay was smiling from ear to ear as PQ MP for Jean-Dalon Pascal Paradis delivered her Christmas basket.
Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
“It's really a beautiful day. I'll be relaxed during the holiday season and we won't be thinking about what we're going to have for dinner in the coming weeks. It's really the best gift I've ever received,” says Christine Tremblay in the company of her son Olivier.
“We're so grateful because everything costs more. I moved into a rental in November that cost me $400 more a month, but I had no choice because that's all I had left, so the end of the month wasn't easy because the groceries were going up, too,” she added.
Worrying situation
Inflation and rising interest rates have recently pushed many people below the poverty line, forcing them to turn to support institutions for survival, Roseline Roussel, Le Pignon Bleu, notes as deeply concerned about the situation.
“At the moment, I'd say more than 50% of people asking for our help are low-wage workers who work 40 hours a week and can't do it anymore,” he explains.
Roseline Roussel, General Director of Pignon Bleu / Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
“It is very worrying to know that food prices have increased so much and working families are demanding more and more of our support,” says the organization's general director.
“There are structural problems in our economy that really need to be worked on. At a time when the richest and most profitable are the most, those in vulnerable situations and those in work are struggling to fill their fridges. It's just not understandable,” said a loyal volunteer of Operation Bignon Blue Christmas Baskets for many years. MP Pascal Paradis commented.
Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
