Amid the Pandemic, La Porte Ouverte is in Need of Volunteers
November 5, 2021
By Holly Ferron
The Covid pandemic continues to have drastic effects on Montreal’s homeless population and the number of volunteers participating at various drop-in centres.
Just minutes away from McGill campus, La Porte Ouverte offers an excellent way for McGill students to get involved with the Montreal community by helping those in need. The centre provides food and clothing, laundry services, shelter, counseling, and employment assistance, among other amenities, to homeless and low-income people. Volunteer work is essential to its continued operation.
“There are times when I have no volunteers in the kitchen to help me and it is very hard,” Manon Ferland, Cook at La Porte Ouverte, explained. “If there are no volunteers, I have to prepare everything by myself.”
Manon provides three hot meals a day, with upwards of 100 meals being served on a busy night for dinner. Preparation is definitely laboursome, and it can take hours just to cut the vegetables alone. She describes how the pandemic has impacted La Porte Ouverte’s capacity as a shelter, especially in terms of the number of people who can stay per night. “Before the pandemic, [it used to be] 65 people, then only 25 were permitted because of Covid protocols. Now we are up to 35 or 40 people.”
Unfortunately, beds are not the only aspect of La Porte Ouverte’s operation that has seen a decrease in numbers. The number of volunteers has plummeted as well. “Many of the frequent volunteers in the kitchen were retired adults who had to stop coming when the pandemic hit. They had a high risk of getting the virus,” Manon said.
Furthermore, as the number of available beds and volunteers decreases, many sources have remarked that the amount of homeless people in Montreal has, in fact, doubled since the start of the pandemic. With the current Montreal housing crisis, the supply of affordable houses fails to meet their high demand. There are currently 24,000 individuals who are on the waitlist for subsidized housing, with no telling of how long the wait might be.
As the community crisis continues to grow, students may think that there is no way for them to personally help. However, volunteering for La Porte Ouverte not only provides necessities to those in need, but reinforces a critical sense of care and support from the community towards those who may be at a challenging point in their lives.
As someone who volunteers in the kitchen at La Porte Ouverte, I see the feeling of support on a weekly basis. After I had served a person in need with a meal a couple of days ago, they said to me, “Thank you, you make me feel like someone really cares about me.” It was not something that I expected to hear, and it made me consider how far simply asking someone about their day with a smile can really go.
Volunteering at La Porte Ouverte also allows me to experience a strong sense of community outside of the McGill Bubble. “Hamburger steaks with mashed potatoes are my favorite thing to cook [for dinner] because everybody enjoys them,” Manon expressed. When those in need have a meal at La Porte Ouverte, it brings together both the volunteers who make the food and the community who enjoys the food.
Currently, there are several McGill students who frequently volunteer at La Porte Ouverte, either in the kitchen, laundry room, front desk, or common area. Together, volunteers are what make the centre possible, and all are welcome to lend a hand.
If you would like to get in contact with La Porte Ouverte, please visit their website: https://www.opendoortoday.org/
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