A Second Marché Bon Accueil Will See the Day: Welcome Hall Mission Announces Acquisition of Montreal-North Building From the Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul de Montréal

MONTRÉAL, Jan. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Welcome Hall Mission is pleased to announce the acquisition of a building located at 11624 L’Archevêque (corner Henri Bourassa) from the Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul de Montréal.  Formerly home to L’essentiel, the Société provided basic food assistance to individuals in need for the past 20 years. The location will be transformed into an innovative new model of food security – a free grocery store, Marché Bon Accueil.

An important investment for the neighborhood

In Montreal North an alarming number of residents struggle to choose between paying their rent and buying groceries for their families.  The realities of the borough include an aging population, a high number of new immigrants, chronic unemployment, and a large number of single-parent families that spend over 30% of household income spent on housing.

“We are delighted to know that this building will continue to serve the community,” says Denise Ouellette, General Director of the Société.  “Welcome Hall Mission has taken a lead role in the distribution of free food in Montreal and has the capacity and management skill to ensure that eligible citizens in Montreal North will be well served.  We are confident in their ability to provide elevated service levels to the people who need help to feed their families.”

“The investment is essential,” says Sam Watts, CEO of Welcome Hall Mission.  “1,200 of our existing Marché clients come from the Montreal North area.  Many of them travel by public transport and face up to a three-hour return trip to shop for their bi-weekly order.  The new location will be much more convenient for them and will allow us to serve more customers in our St-Henri premises.”

Extensive renovations required

Sam Watts is excited to expand to a second Marché Bon Accueil following the resounding success of the first installation in St-Henri.  “We had run the largest direct-to-public food bank in Montreal for many years (serving over 12,000 clients per month), but when we moved from the hand-out model to a customer-directed experience, the popularity of the experience grew exponentially,” said Watts. “By allowing our customers to make their own food choices and by improving our levels of customer service, we created an environment that is positive and respectful. That’s what we intend to replicate in Montreal North. We recognize and appreciate the work done to date by the Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul and the volunteers who made it possible. We invite their clients to join us at our Saint-Henri location until the renovations are complete.”

A Mission transition team will be mobilized immediately to begin the extensive renovations and planning processes necessary to facilitate the opening of the Marché later this year.  An estimated $400,000 in repairs will be required to restore the building. In addition to the renovation project, the Mission will need to deploy staff, recruit hundreds of volunteers and purchase a 26-foot refrigerated transport truck to support the new location. With the bulk of its funding coming from regular Montrealers, the Mission is appealing to the public to partner with them to make this project a reality. 

Individuals and corporations interested in investing in the Montreal North project are invited to contact Kathryn Stephens at kstephens@missionba.com. 

About Welcome Hall Mission

Established in 1892, Welcome Hall Mission has become the largest doorway to help for Montrealers in need. Many programs are available to support the homeless, young single mothers, families, children and youth. Welcome Hall Mission gives them hope through concrete actions and effective solutions to help them improve their lives and reintegrate into society.

To follow Welcome Hall Mission:

Web site: welcomehallmission.com  
Facebook: facebook.com/MissionBonAccueil
YouTube: youtube.com/user/whmba
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/2528106?trk=tyah
Twitter: twitter.com/whmba

For more information or to schedule an interview:
Sophie Allard, APR	Kathryn Stephens
AH!COM	Director of Development and Public Relations
514-499-3030, ext. 771	514-523-5288, ext. 303
514-808-9474	514-220-6071
sa@ahcom.ca	kstephens@missionba.com