Léonore Pion, who was our Kitchen Coordinator the last couple of years at SouthWest Mission, has moved on to the Eastern Townships and started her own community kitchen called La Jeanne. Back on March 14 (“a lifetime ago”, as she says) she sent the following words:
«Community kitchen La Jeanne started its activities a month ago. I've mostly (and successfully) been doing workshops, and will probably have to cancel what was scheduled for the next weeks. I'm hoping I won't be sick, so I can have a little production line for people here in isolation. I'm thinking La Jeanne could provide an "emergency popote roulante" for the next couple of weeks. Not sure how that will/can happen, but in God I trust, n'est-ce pas, and I know when one's focused enough, things just fall into place. »
Asked this week if she had been able to get her meals-on-wheels program off the ground, she sent the photos below and this follow-up message:
“I'm doing really well, considering.
I have a lot of energy and am happy and relieved to be able to contribute in a positive way.
Since the beginning of the crisis, I've been cooking, and cooking, and cooking more.
I left my kitchen log book at work, so these figures are approximate---so far, in more or less three weeks, and with the help of one volunteer only at a time, La Jeanne was able to send 100 L soup, 60 L fruit salad, 25 L meat sauce, 60 ready-to-eat meals, 80 family portions of orange cake, 50 banana loaves, and, last but certainly not least, 125 pots of marmalade to the local food bank, la Banque alimentaire Memphrémagog (BAM), my "landlady" and partner who then redistributes the food to her crowd. BAM feeds me with the ingredients she can't distribute, for various reasons -- too old, too much, too bulky -- and I transform them as fast as they need to be---or else they get fed to the pigs.
The number of people seeking for food help has increased tremendously in the last couple of weeks. Memphrémagog Food Bank is still able to provide generously. That is, I think, mostly because restaurants have closed, and restaurant owners brought their perishables to us. However, I'm concerned that there will be nothing left to distribute/transform in a few weeks---I heard Moisson Montréal is running out of stock; as for Moisson Estrie, it hasn't been providing our last orders.
That's why I feel it's important to transform now, in order not to lose stock. We can't afford to waste food that will be necessary tomorrow.
I will go on working as long as I'm healthy. So far, so very good.
I'm lucky to be surrounded by an amazing bunch of humans: the food bank team has been more than welcoming, and is eager to support me in our common effort to feed the most vulnerable. Some wonderful volunteers have also shown up---for now, I can't say the kitchen efficiency is at its best, but it feels like a real luxury to spend time with someone, that girl/guy at the other end of the room :)
I hope SWU is doing good, going through this crisis with courage and hope.
It must be really tough for some of them---alone, no visits, no going out. I hope everyone is getting as much support as they need. I hope everyone is taking this very seriously: you do not fool around with the virus, oh you do not.”
Bravo Léonore! Keep up the good work!
Suivez La Jeanne sur / Follow La Jeanne on Facebook.
