Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security commits $450,000 to Carrefour Solidaire's Carte Proximité program
Who: The Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security
What: The Centre has announced a $450,000 commitment to Carrefour Solidaire Community Food Centre (Carrefour Solidaire CFC) to expand its Carte Proximité program, which works to improve access to nutritious food for low-income households across Montreal.
Carte Proximité provides monthly allocations to households experiencing food insecurity through reloadable cards, which can be used at participating grocery stores and public markets to purchase fresh and prepared foods.
The Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security support will allow Carte Proximité to reach more people in Montreal and will support Carrefour Solidaire CFC in developing a scalable model.
Since its launch in 2020, the program has facilitated more than $2.3 million in purchases across 5,500 cards, reaching communities in 13 Montreal boroughs, Laval, Outaouais, and Estrie.
Surveys conducted with participants show the program led to a 34% reduction in severe food insecurity among seasonal participants and a 70% reduction among those enrolled year-round.
"Carte Proximité allows its participants to become agents of change in their communities, contributing to the resiliency of local food systems while benefiting from increased autonomy and purchasing power to buy the groceries their household most needs," said Beccah Frasier, executive co-director of Carrefour Solidaire CFC, in a press release.
