New building for the Centre en sécurité alimentaire de Gatineau has opened

Jude Osmond

On Monday, April 27, the Centre en sécurité alimentaire de Gatineau cut the ribbon to announce the opening of its new building at 176 rue Guay. This has been long-awaited by the CSAG that has been advocating for a larger building to handle more groceries and help more people in Gatineau.

The new, modern building is four times the size of the old one and can handle twice as many donations.

“It's a huge relief to be able to bring my team to work in this new space,” said Marlène Goulet, general manager of the Centre.

They hosted a press conference at the opening, giving people a chance to come and visit the new building and explore the new food bank. “There was a lot of emotion in the building,” Goulet said. “It’s such a big relief; we’ve been trying for years to relocate.”

Goulet mentioned that the old building was just one big room, and they did not have enough space to respond to the needs of the people. “We all have desks now and we no longer have to share just one desk,” she said.

One of the main goals of the new building is not only to assist more people in need with groceries but also to provide volunteers with a healthier working environment and to accommodate more volunteers.

Jocelyne Djeumeni, a volunteer at the Centre for the past five years, mentioned that it was already a passionate and hearty environment, and that with the new building, volunteers would be able to help more people.