As with other organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic immediately disrupted services offered by La Petite Maison de Pointe-Calumet, a community hub that offers support to local families .
Demand increased substantially. Before the beginning of the crisis, the team at La Petite Maison de Pointe-Calumet prepared between 45 to 50 food baskets a week for those who needed support. In March 2020, that number jumped to between 60 and 70 baskets a week.
Following the call for donations to respond to the growing needs in food assistance, the organization received an offer from a local horticulturist, Josée Deslauriers from Nature Vivante, Aménagement comestible écologique, a landscaping company in the region. She wanted to help the organization create a collective garden to benefit the members of the community.
Launched on June 2, 2020, the harvests from the community garden were shared with the Pointe-Calumet food counter and the volunteer gardeners. Self-service bins are also available in front of the garden to the great delight of old and young alike.
The project was given funding through the Emergency Community Support Fund.