Empty Bowls Fundraiser

The Mission is participating in the Empty Bowls fundraiser event organized by Maison d'entraide Saint-Paul-Émard on Saturday, April 7th.

The Mission is providing 200 bread buns to go with the soup and cheese that will be sold at Saint-Jean-de-Matha church.

The fundraiser goes like this: for $25, you buy a bowl made by a local artisan. When you come and pick it up, it's given to you with soup inside. Eat the soup, bring the bowl home. Voilà!

The Maison d'entraide St-Paul & Emard is at 6831 rue d'Aragon. The event takes place there Saturday from 11AM to 3PM.

Mini-Market March 28

Every second Wednesday you can buy fresh produce at the Mission at very competitive prices. The fruit and vegetables are delivered that morning and the market is on from 10:30AM to 3:30PM. Most items are sold by weight so you can buy as little or as much as you need. Join us next Wednesday, the 28th of March. Click on the button below to see what will be on offer this week.

Support Needed for Breakfast Club

Our Breakfast Club, which feeds about 70 Verdun Elementary School kids every school day, is short of a few items this month: orange juice (big cartons, not individual boxes), brown paper "lunch" bags, and plain Eggo waffles (or store brand). Items can be dropped off at church on Sunday, or at Meli-Melo between 12:30 and 2:30 Sunday at the Mission.

They are also still in need of volunteers. Even if you can only give your time once in a while, please contact the office to be put in touch with Breakfast Club coordination. 514-768-6231.

Minister's Message: Thanks to Harvest Montreal

I wrote a thanks this week to Geverny Hajjar and the team at Harvest Montreal/ Moisson Montréal. Geverny coordinates our monthly pickup of donated food items. We benefit from partnership with this organisation that recovers many tons of food from across Montréal that would normally find its way into a garbage dump. Each month Darlene lends the 'Silver Bullet' to Frank and Léonore who load it to the brim with meat, non-perishable foods and fresh produce. I wrote a thank-you specifically because I saw many ways these donations touched individuals, groups and our community meals.

Kitchen Dream Team Welcome Wednesday

Since the food donations were brought back last Friday this is in part what I observed:

- Children of Breakfast Club loved the ham that was served one morning! 
- Community Celebration/Méli-mélo had an abundance of food prepared by our kitchen co-ordinator and the dream team in the kitchen. The grapes and tortilla chips were a hit.
- some food baskets were delivered to seniors.
- the 'Libre Frigo' was well stocked and many families enjoyed the bread and fresh produce.
- the lemons, sausages and brussels sprouts were being transformed into tasty elements of the upcoming Welcome Wednesday meal.

Wonderful sights and sounds!! 

I wrote: « Veuillez donner ce mot de gratitude à toute l’équipe de Moisson Montréal en notre nom. Merci! »

I remember the story of the child who shared his lunch with Jesus who then blessed it to nourish thousands (John 6:1-14). Generous giving should always be appreciated and a word of thanks in in order, to donors of all kinds and in varying quantities. "Thank-you" keeps the blessing moving along.

I want to gratefully acknowledge :
- a recent gift from the Teen Haven Foundation, Verdun.
- our local Legion # 4 that continues to donate dry goods for the pantry.
- SouthWest's food drive on the first Sunday of Lent of non-perishable food, shared between the Mission and Manna food bank.

Rev.David

Sharing the Loaves and Fishes

Sharing the loaves and fishes,
You gave us an image of solidarity with the hungry, O Lord.
Sharing yourself in the bread and wine,
You called all to the table, O Lord.
Give me the hunger to be a part of the feeding
And the healing of this world.
Nourish me with your Grace,
So I may work with joy to serve your children.
Open my eyes and my heart
To recognize those in poverty
And increase my awareness
Of the structures and systems
That need to be changed
So we may all break bread together.
In your name we pray for the end of hunger.

Education for Justice (internet resource)

March Calendars: Where to Eat, Where to Cook

Once again, prepared by our partners at Verdun sans faim, here are the Food security calendars for this month. One of them shows community meals in Verdun; The other shows collective kitchens and emergency food help. 

Wednesday Lunch Goes Weekly!

Starting the first week of March, our popular lunches, which have been offered every second Wednesday, will become a weekly event!

Our Welcome Wednesday schedule featuring lunch and a mini-market remains the same, but we are adding a lighter lunch on the alternate Wednesdays as well. The first of these light lunches, on March 7th, is special: it will be prepared by a group of 10 to 15-year-olds attending a March Break cooking camp at the Mission. They will be cooking under the supervision of chef cuisinière Léonore.

Lunch is served Wednesday at 12:30. Thank you for your donation to George, the piggybank.

The youngsters in the cooking camp will also prepare a British-style High Tea on Friday, March 9th. Tea, scones, cucumber sandwiches and other delicacies will be offered. 4PM. Also a voluntary contribution.

Hope to see you at SouthWest Mission, 631 Melrose in Verdun, corner Verdun ave.

P.S: A Blog post from January 5th shows the dates of Welcome Wednesdays featuring Mini-markets. 

Mini-Market February 28th

With the mild weather forecast over the next nine days at least, you could almost believe spring is coming! While it's still grey outside, there's always plenty of colour at the Mission on Welcome Wednesdays. Red peppers, green beans, oranges etc. Mini-market has a bright palette of colours, not to mention flavours available at the best prices. And they're loaded with vitamins and iron to give us the boost we need at this time of year. Download the price list for next Wednesday's market below.

The delicious, nutritious community meal offered on the same day is also an excellent pick-me-up. These days, the cooks usually prepare something with meat, but there is always a vegetarian alternative available.

What: Welcome Wednesday

Where? Southwest Mission, 631 Melrose

When? Wed., February 28th: Mini-market 10:30AM to 3:30PM; Community Lunch 12:30.

Music and Soup/ la musique et la soupe

Southwest Music † Musique sud-ouest

SUNDAY MARCH 4

MUSIC, with Arielle Soucy, our very own Steve Scales and the fabulous SouthWest Choir! Arielle has sung at the Church a few times now, and it’s a real treat. Rockin’ Steve needs no introduction! The choir is providing the soups for the Lenten Lunch after the service, so you’ll have lots to choose from.

This is also a SOUP DRIVE, so we’re asking you to come with tins, packets, and containers of soup to replenish the shelves at Manna Verdun and the Mission.

See you Sunday!

DIMANCHE LE 4 MARS

Un dimanche en MUSIQUE : la soprane Arielle Soucy, qui est déjà venu chanter à l’église à quelques reprises, notre chanteur « Soul » maison, Steve Scales, et le Chœur Sud-ouest. Restez après la célébration pour un bol de soupe, cuisiné par les membres du chœur !

Pour notre COLLECTE DE SOUPE, on vous demande d’apporter des contenants ou des paquets de soupe qu’on donnera par la suite à Manna Verdun et à la Mission.

À dimanche !

Sarah Fraser

March Break Cooking Camp

Our community chef, Leonore, is proposing a day camp the week of March 5th to 9th for young cooks age 10 to 15. Don't want them home staring at screens all week? This could be the answer. Youngsters will learn basic skills they can use all their lives. In the course of the week they will help prepare a community meal (Wednesday) and a High tea on the Friday. They are also sure to bring some tasty things home to their families in the course of the week. The camp will be bilingual. 9AM - 4PM Monday to Friday. Cost: $250 per child. For safety reasons, and to ensure one-on-one attention for each camper, there are only five places available. If interested, contact leonore.pion@gmail.com

Bake sale and food drive this Sunday

This Sunday, February 18th, is the first of Lent. There will be communion during the 10 AM service and those who are able are asked to bring non-perishable food items to support our food security initiatives. After the service, there will be regular fellowship time, but also sandwiches and a bake sale. If you have baked goods to contribute, bring them along a little early Sunday morning. 1445 Clemenceau, Verdun.