An entrepreneur turned millionaire in retirement managed to convince Beauce’s financial community to invest $1.2 million in growing vegetables at a church.
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“The world needs to eat vegetables and Moisson Beauce doesn’t have enough vegetables,” sums up Jean Champagne.
The co-founder of the company Portes Patio Résiver – the guy who can’t sit still – has been retired since 2019. He started providing food aid in 2020 by founding the organization Cultivator pour Partager.
The goal was to grow food to make it better. It’s already working well, but today his project moves to the next phase.
Growing to Share has just purchased the Saint-Alfred church for the symbolic sum of $1. Thanks to an investment of $1.2 million, the floor will be reinforced, equipment for handling, cleaning and packaging of vegetables will be installed, and an indoor greenhouse, an outdoor greenhouse and a cold room will be built.
“Many people have joined the project, including ten local entrepreneurs who donated $25,000 each,” says Mr. Champagne proudly.
This wealthy, independent business leader didn’t put more money into the project than the ten others, but he put his heart and soul into it.
He also convinced Desjardins to provide $250,000, which led to Quebec releasing $500,000.
A family affair
His daughter Marie Champagne is director of Moisson Beauce. “My father and mother were always committed to the community, even when they were working,” says the 36-year-old.
She will use the new space because the cold room, the heart of the project, will take up more than half of the church.
“This means I can have fresh vegetables all year round,” she summarizes. When it comes to potatoes, for example, there is currently nothing left in January.
Moisson Beauce is currently responding to 12,500 requests for food aid per month, a sharp increase compared to recent years.
“We will not feed more people through this project, but the quality of our baskets will skyrocket,” assures the director. And all year round.
Amen
His father, a believer and overjoyed at the idea of bringing Cultivate to Share to life in a church, is infectiously enthusiastic.
“Imagine. We will grow five times more vegetables. We will have almost three times more space to store them. I can’t wait for the work to begin,” he says.
In fact, the first hammer blows will occur this fall. The church should have become a factory vegetable garden by summer 2024 at the latest.
The cold room will be ready for the next harvest season. “There is something poetic about using a church to feed people,” adds Marie Champagne.