Dear friends of the Roulant,
The Roulant’s heart has been beating to the rhythms of Montrealers’ lives for nearly 30 years: graduations, new arrivals to the city, retirements, hospitalizations… and even that final transition towards end of life.
Staff and volunteers are intimate witnesses to those Meals-on-Wheels clients living their last days in the comfort of their own homes. The kitchen uses the power of good food to bring joy to their tables, while the Meals-on-Wheels team puts care into each conversation over the phone or interaction at the door.
We try to greet these difficult moments with gentleness, generosity, and vitality.
From this human vantage point, we see all members of the Roulant community facing an intersection of intensifying crises. We know that mental health struggles and social isolation can impact volunteers as much as they can seniors receiving home care, participants living in financial precarity, or people experiencing homelessness.
These circumstances take lives, too, because the institutions in place do not have the means to support each individual’s reality. Apart from immense sadness, this leaves us feeling that the issues are complex and unforgiving.
A look at the present
These injustices bring home the simple reality of our times: Montreal’s communities are in immense need of care and compassion.
Fortunately, Santropol Roulant has a lot to offer in this regard. Community members understand this.
People who feel disconnected often turn to volunteering. People who want to take care of their communities turn to volunteering. People who believe in a brighter future turn to volunteering.
When these same people don’t have the time or the opportunity to volunteer, they turn to financial commitment as a form of care and connection.
Today, we extend this invitation to you, to care for your community by making a donation.
Looking to the future
This spring at the farm, we are building an Agroeducational Centre that promises to be a space conducive to healing, just as the green rooftop or the La Citè gardens are, as the kitchen is, and as all the nooks and crannies of the Roulant strive to be.
One of the essential functions of our work is to provide spaces where we can explore feeling better together. We aim to offer this to the widest possible range of people, regardless of age or background, across all programs. This is reflected in every detail of our activities, from dishing out free bowls of soup, to welcoming groups from partner organizations, to hosting educational workshops and gathering for inclusive events.
Through laughter, through learning, through involvement, and through celebration, we wish you meaningful connections for this 2024 holiday season and into the new year.
With all our affection,
Pier & Melanie
PS: Santropol Roulant’s new 2025-2028 strategic plan is hot off the press. Read through to project yourself into the future with us!