Eating on the cheap

>> Where, when and how to find food free, or close to it

by NOEMI LOPINTO andCRAIG SEGAL

The long line-up at the food bank is an image most people associate with grainy black-and-white films and Cole Porter songs. According to Statistics Québec, today 460,205 Quebec families live under the poverty line, set at $34,000 a year for a family of four. A family on welfare makes a little less than half that amount. This means after rent, bills and buying a week's worth of groceries, almost a quarter of the population has next to nothing left in the bank.

Food bank organizers say the number of people on some kind of social assistance has increased so much that they have had to adjust their policies. Some organizations have adopted an area-residents-only policy, and others have begun to charge a membership fee. Larger organizations like Sun Youth and the Salvation Army require people to go through a screening process, where applicants need a heap of documents and an explanation before they are given food. Most of Montreal's food banks get their supplies from Moisson Montreal, a charity that harvests corporate, farm and market donations and stores them in a 90,000 square-foot warehouse on Côte-de-Liesse.

If you are broke and need a food basket, call your local CLSC, or the referral centre Face à Face for the food banks in your area. Then dig up your lease, a few bills, and practice your best supplicating Oliver Twist imitation: "Please Sir, may I have some more?"



TAKE HOME

NDG Food Depot--2121 Oxford, metro Vendôme. Mondays 5-7 p.m. and Fridays 10 a.m.-2 p.m. NDG residents only. 483-4680

Required documents are proof of income and address. Clients are registered once, and then they may come again as needed. Waits are a trifle long, but the space is clean, homey, and there is food to eat and coffee to drink. They gave the most complete food basket we saw, as well as the most respectful treatment, in the city: powdered and condensed milk, a dozen eggs, bagels, canned soups, cookies, a fresh zucchini, chocolate, Kraft dinner, juice, fresh pears, baby carrots and Ramen noodles.



Mile-End Mission--99 Bernard W., metro Place-des-Arts, 80 Bus. Fridays only, 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. 274-3401

Mile-End Mission is small, run by Anglican priest Roslyn Macgregor and a few dedicated volunteers. Clients must present themselves in the morning and then return in the afternoon for their basket. The required documents are a proof of address and welfare or cheque stub. There is no interview. Connie Olson, director of the food bank, will help a non-Mile-End resident in dire need if there is a surplus. It is a small, no-frills place. The food basket contained: white hamburger buns, peaches, kiwis, pickles, Maxwell House coffee, hot dog buns, sliced ham, salted crackers, canned soups, potatoes and Jell-O pudding.



Multi-Caf--5829 Côte-des-Neiges, metro Côte-des-Neiges. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 733-0554

The Multi-Caf is in a community centre for Côte-des-Neiges residents only, and they serve free meals in the mornings. They also discourage more than monthly visits. The required documentation is a lease or proof of address. The wait is in a cafeteria, about 20-minutes long but with a free cup of coffee. The food basket contained: potatoes, pickles, plums, apples, spinach, bread, soap, canned beans, powdered milk, little cheesecakes, tomatoes, lettuce and canned tuna.



La Garde-Manger familiale--5965 Christophe-Colomb (Paroisse St-Etienne), metro Rosemont. Fridays only, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. 270-2308

Run entirely by two sisters, Sisi and Guylaine Leboeuf. There is a $2.50 fee, bring your own backpack. Clients wait in a damp church basement until their numbers are called, at which point they are ushered behind a folding curtain, their hands are stamped and they "shop" what they want from tables spilling over with food. There are no required documents, no interviews and the sisters don't care where you live. The fruit and veggies come largely from markets, so be prepared to wash the earth off. The food to choose from was: potatoes, baby carrots, lettuce, croissants, danishes, onions, green beans, snow peas, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, peaches, apples, frozen french fries, bread, bagels and raw pizza crusts.



The Salvation Army--2050 Stanley, metro Peel. Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 288-7686

The Salvation Army serves downtown residents, but that territory extends pretty far. If you think you are within their jurisdiction, call before going because they are strict about appointments and will send you away if you drop in. Like Sun Youth, there is an interview to get through. The required documents are family members' medicare cards, a lease and a bill. The office is drab but the wait is not too long and there are toys for children. They also do not encourage repeat visits. The food basket consisted of: white bread, cookies, Kraft dinner, Kraft snacks, cakes, a pound of margarine, a large ham, tea, Ramen noodles, canned soups, canned beans, canned carrots, canned pineapple, instant pudding, no-name jello and instant coffee.



Maison Adrianna--2615 Ontario, metro Frontenac. Wednesdays only 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 573-6347

Maison Adrianna serves the Centre-Sud and Hochelaga area. Customers must be registered to receive foodbags, and there is a 250-name waiting list. Registered customers pay $5 per weekly visit. The food is spread out on tables, and people choose the contents of their baskets. The director, Jacqueline Boucher, makes a special effort to ensure there are always fruits and vegetables. What Moisson Montreal doesn't provide, she buys from food markets. The food available included: fresh carrots, apricots, plums, radishes, lettuce, eggplants, Philadelphia cream cheese, bread, Kraft snacks and various forms of Kraft Dinners.



The Women's Centre--3585 St-Urbain, metro Place-des-Arts, 80 Bus. Women only. Thursdays and Fridays by appointment. 842-4780

The Women's Centre services are for women and families in the Plateau/downtown area. They do not ask for any identity cards, income slips or leases, but clients will be asked to fill out a form. There is no interview. They discourage anything more than monthly visits. Clients bring their own backpacks or boxes, which are taken and filled at the back of the centre and handed back in the waiting room. The food basket contained: three pounds of potatoes, one pound of peanuts, Kraft dinner, pears, three meal-replacement bars, canned soups, one pound of carrots, bread, sliced smoked ham, peanut butter and an entire bag of Kraft mini-salad dressings.



Sun Youth--4251 St-Urbain, metro Place-des-Arts, 80 Bus. After the 15th of every month, appointments only. 842-6822

The walls of Sun Youth sport photographs of just about every Canadian politician, actor and singer with a heart to bleed or an axe to grind. The juxtaposition of all those framed smiles with the utter pandemonium of the place makes for a surreal experience. The hallways are cluttered with junk and people mill about as if lost. The interviews take place on the second floor (no elevator, no wheelchair access) making it difficult for the elderly and mothers with strollers. Required documents are: Hydro bills, proof of income, identity cards and a lease. They make a point of asking people why they need assistance. Furthermore, clients must sign a waiver that reads, "Sun Youth is not responsible for the condition of these items. (Said person) agrees to surrender any and all claims against Sun Youth org. in virtue of any damage sustained as a result of said items." Sun Youth say the food is for emergencies only, and they don't encourage return visits. Consequently, the food in the basket is haphazard: pasta, bread, sugar spread, shampoo, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, canned soups, canned beans and a pound of frozen beef. Seemed hardly worth the legal mumbo-jumbo.

EAT OUT

Acceuil Bonneau--427 de la Commune E., metro Champs-de-Mars. Mondays to Fridays 9:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m., 2 p.m.-3 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Men only. Free. 845-3906

The birthplace of the internationally renowned Montreal Homeless Men's Choir caters to the hardened street man. To get in, walk up the alley just east of the main entrance. Take a number and walk down a few stairs into the caf and exchange the number for a red tray. Staff serves today's meal directly onto the tray, which acts as a large dish. Meals served consisted of a Spam sandwich, two separate hunks of pork, some relatively fresh slices of pepper, a cup of lemonade, two Jos Louis cakes and a tasty piece of watermelon. According to the unwritten rule, individual leftovers stay on the table for others to pick up.



Multi-Caf, 3591 Appleton, Metro Côte-des-Neiges. Mondays to Fridays 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. $1. 733-0554

Located on the north side of Kent Park, this cafeteria serves all kinds. Although the largest single group is made of grizzled white men, there was a black father with two happy young kids, some twenty-something Spanish student-types and well-dressed working people. You pay $1 for a heaping tray of food. The meals are large: a small tomato soup, ravioli in a heavy meat sauce, a small salad, green peas and beans, a piece of bread and a donut. Décor is minimal in this large cafeteria, brightened by cardboard flower arrangements taped to the walls. Bring Tupperware and line up for leftovers after the lunch meal.



Benedict Labre House--308 Young Street, Metro Bonaventure. Tuesdays 1 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays 1 p.m., 5:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 12 p.m. Free. 937-5973

A poor man's Santropol. Get a number from a smiling young woman, then--weather permitting--sit at a picnic table out in the backyard terrasse and chat with the locals. Most of the customers were middle-aged white men, a few visible minorities and a couple of women. The food is upscale: mussels, rice, tomatoes in tangy mustard sauce, juicy corn on the cob and a red plum for dessert.



Restaurant Chez Mes Amis--5942 Sherbrooke W., Metro Vendôme. Mondays to Fridays 10 a.m.-7:15 p.m., Sundays 4:40-7:15 p.m. $2, or 14 meals for $20. Free for kids under eight. $1 for kids eight to 12. 482-2210

This place attempts a restaurant ambience, with optimistic framed phrases on the wall saying things like, "The present is a gift. That is why it is called the present." It's a bit strange, but the food is good. A sample meal consisted of soft roast beef with gravy, beets, pickles, and mashed potatoes. Clientele: mostly white anglos of varying ages. Probably a good place to take kids.



Chez Doris--1430 Chomedey, metro Atwater. Mondays to Fridays, 12 p.m. Women only. Free. 937-2341

This house was named after a murdered prostitute who had once complained there was nowhere safe for women to go in the downtown core. Meals are free, every day at noon. The menu included chicken kebabs, salad and coffee. The atmosphere is cozy and friendly, with plants, rugs, rocking chairs and smoking and non-smoking rooms on the second floor, filled to the brim with couches. Women lounge around, talk and sleep. The centre also has many other things going on, including trips to the beach, the planetarium and yoga classes.



Resto-Plateau--4450 St-Hubert, metro Mount-Royal. Mondays to Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. $2.50. 527-5997

Located in the basement of what used to be the monastery Notre-Dame-du-très-Saint-Sacrement, Resto-Plateau might very well be the Plateau's best kept secret. The main courses were: fish and chips, sausages and potatoes, salami sandwiches or liver and mashed potatoes. Included was a salad, soup, steamed veggies and your choice of desserts: pink pudding, s'mores, chocolate cake and coffee, tea or milk. The décor was surprisingly tasteful, almost restaurant-like. There were a few talking-to-themselves, mysterious-bruises types, but they were outnumbered by savvy bargain hunters, lots of middle-aged folks and people on their lunch break from work.



Comité Social Centre-Sud--1710 Beaudry, metro Beaudry. Mondays to Fridays, 7:30 a.m. -9 a.m. (breakfast) and 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch). $2.50. 596-7092

Located in a cavernous hall that doubles as a theatre in the middle of the community centre. People line up with trays and are served over huge gleaming silver trays. The menu on that day was cold sliced ham or beef in sauce brune with boiled squash, carrots and potatoes. Salad (iceberg lettuce), dessert (donuts) and coffee included. The tables are long blue rectangles placed end-to-end. The noise from the kitchen of crashing dishes and cutlery reverberate deafeningly off the concrete floor. People mostly kept to themselves, but there were a few couples here and there. The homeless contingent was fairly strong--lots of skinny, angry old guys chewing on their donuts by themselves.



Les Amis du Plateau--4395 Papineau, metro Mont-Royal or Papineau. Mondays to Saturdays, 12:45 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Free. 527-1344

Les Amis is located on the second floor above a T & A bar. People give their names to reception in exchange for a letter from A-Z. They sit down at the table matching the letter in their hand and listen as volunteers call out letters picked at random. When your letter is called you are served at the table. The menu that day was pea soup, meatloaf, salad, and pudding-cake for dessert. There are three volunteers pacing the floor at all times to make sure everybody stays under control. The space is small, and both clientele and volunteers were highly tattooed--even the nice old lady at the reception desk. Mostly males of all ages, and a few squeegees.



Old Brewery Mission--915 Clark, metro Place d'Armes. Dinner served to the pubic at 5 p.m. daily beginning on the 15th of the month. For the first two weeks of the month, meals go only to those who slept at the Old Brewery the night prior. 866-6591. Men and women. Free.



The number of people waiting in line for the 5 p.m. dinner can reach the hundreds by 4:30 p.m. Staff lead clients into a large cafeteria for dinner and file them to long tables. Polite men and women quickly serve plates of tasty beef stew, mashed potatoes, yellow beans, a bowl of yogurt, an apple, two slices of bread and good coffee pre-mixed with milk. Watched by security personnel with walkie-talkies, people eat quietly and quickly. :