As the Roulant evolves and continues to make high-quality food accessible to seniors, people with reduced autonomy or with varying levels of mobility, the organization’s key program wheel has been handed over to two new people. We invite you to meet Aidan the Kitchen Programs Manager and Magali the Urban Agriculture Program Manager.
Jean-François Veilleux: First of all, congratulations on your new functions, I believe that you will bring a lot to your respective programs. How does it feel to be responsible for such important facets of the Roulant?
Aidan Vorolieff: It’s an honour for me to find myself managing the kitchen programs when there’s a lot going on. Especially since the Meals-on-Wheels is currently the priority of the Roulant which makes it possible to reach the most vulnerable people in the community. All of our education and awareness work ultimately goes through the kitchen and this is really at the heart of how we allow people to be more connected to food.
Magali Casaubon: I feel tremendous gratitude for this unique opportunity, and it is very much in line with my experiences and where I was at. I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited for the new challenges and I want to continue and expand what people before me have started, while also bringing so much love to the community.
JFV: What are the biggest challenges you plan to face, pandemics or not?
AV: One thing that the pandemic will have been able to demonstrate, is the capacity for adaptation and resilience of the Roulant and its kitchen. I want us to be able to remain agile and to continually adapt our offer according to the changes that occur to us. In a kitchen where you prepare everything, there are many factors that can determine whether you have a good day or not and I hope to be able to control these factors as much as possible or stay calm when something happens.
MC: Of course, the pandemic is not helping and I can’t wait for us to get back to a more tightly knit community spirit than we could have before. I also hope that we can make more room for diversity, inclusion and accessibility in our programs. On a more personal note, I intend to improve my agricultural skills, be more present and involved in the Montreal agricultural network and better manage my agenda.
JFV: Do you have any wild project for your program?
MC: I would like to showcase art in our urban agriculture plots, especially for seniors. To do so, I would like to make our gardens even more accessible and to have more seats on our roofs, so that it can tell a story that would lead from the Terrasses Roy up to the 3rd floor. I also want to focus on perennials because I believe they have a lot to teach us.
AV: I intend to bring an even more sustainable vision of food and promote a more seasonal menu. In this way, the Roulant could stand out even more and better showcase and advocate food that can be local, sustainable and resilient. Not to mention having fun with these foods and keeping a creative side!
JFV: In closing, what do you wish for the Roulant community, and what can it wishes you?
MC: Don’t lose sight of the main thing, which is to continue to take care of each other and to be courageous. I want the Roulant to continue to innovate in a sustainable manner, without forgetting to ask who benefits from our services, and to open up and be even more inclusive for marginalized people, people of colour, indigenous people, or from the LGBTQIA2+ community. I want people to wish me to build on the strengths of the urban agriculture program, a warm fall and more flowers!
AV: I want to be wished good luck and not to fail. I wish the community could come back to the Roulant soon to be even more connected to the environment and physical space. And I hope the people in the kitchen won’t be too bothered by the many puns I can make during a shift!
Want to work with Aidan or Magali? Sign up for a volunteer shift today by calling us at 514-284-9335 or by becoming a volunteer!