A 60-year-old from Lanaudière, who distributed food to the homeless in downtown Joliette every day from March 2020 to December 2021, did it again on Christmas Sunday by distributing 20 home-cooked hot meals.
• Also read: François Legault’s Christmas message: “We will be there to help you”
“Not much is open for the homeless on Christmas Day, and for them it’s Christmas too,” explained Claude Desrochers, whom we met downtown during his midday distribution.
Photo Simon Dessureault QMI Agency
The 64-year-old has been cooking traditional Christmas dishes, including turkey, stew, meat pie and mashed potatoes with peas, for a month.
“He’s very generous, it warms my heart, it can help a lot of people,” said Jocelyne Bergeron, a woman currently “squatting” in a burned home.
“It’s really a small miracle to have a nice Christmas dinner here,” said Alain Dugas, who has been on the street in Joliette since last April.
In addition to bread and small gift bags, Mr. Desrochers coolers and crates also contained soups, cakes and muffins.
The latter was supported by the local Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Society, which contributed $200, the Métro Bélair de Joliette, which provided a large turkey, and the Boulangerie Saint-Viateur de Joliette, which donated bread and logs.
Photo Simon Dessureault QMI Agency
beginning of the pandemic
Mr. Desrochers, who volunteers for Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, recalls starting it all at his own expense on March 13, 2020, the day Quebec was “closed” due to the pandemic.
“It had to be done back then, I heard the homeless people were getting aggressive and scared at the same time,” Mr Desrochers said. I told them not to worry and I would feed them every day.”
The Saint-Vincent-de-Paul de Joliette therefore paid his grocery bills while giving 40 meals a day.
“It cost over $6,000,” said the Joliette resident, who was a career financial analyst.