Julia, Les Fruits Défendus Collective Core Member
Originally from Minnesota, I came to Montreal to complete my undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science and then my Master’s in Neuroscience. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for the longest time, but then I discovered these fields in a happy coincidence. I am really interested in human behaviour and motivation, as well as the processes of the brain. I now work at the Jewish General Hospital and plan on going back to graduate school in the domain of medical illustration. Medical illustration is the visual communication of complex science and health topics to a number of audiences, including patients and students.
I got involved with Santropol Roulant as an undergrad when I lived a few blocks away. Volunteering at the Roulant is a cool niche opportunity in areas that make me happy, including food and interacting with elderly people. I am now a core member of Les Fruit Défendus, an urban fruit harvesting collective based at the Roulant. Our mandate is to try to reduce food waste in the city, specifically by partnering with people who own trees on their properties. We harvest about 300 trees and redistribute the harvest to local organizations that might not have access to fresh fruit.
About the blog series
Santropol Roulant is a beautiful community of members brought together by food and community engagement. In an effort to capture the diversity of our members, we are launching Stories of Santropol Roulant. One of our volunteers, Monica (pictured below), is setting out to photograph our members and collect quotes and short stories to share on our blog and social media. If you see Monica at Santropol Roulant with a camera in hand, feel free to approach her and say hello. We would love to hear your story! Contact brooke@santropolroulant.org if you have any questions or would like to be interviewed.
