Mission, Values & History
Mission
At The Depot, nutritious and delicious food fuels solidarity. Our community programs bring people together to grow, cook, share, and mobilize to end food insecurity.
Vision
Values
Our values work together as a whole. They guide every decision we make and are woven through all of our programs, from design to delivery. We hope that everyone who is part of The Depot community carries these values with them.
Social Justice & Solidarity
Openness
Equity
Dignity & Respect
Care
OUR HISTORY
Since 1986, The Depot has grown from an emergency food relief project into a thriving community food hub. What began as neighbours responding to hunger during an economic downturn has evolved into a centre that reimagines what food support and community building can look like. Over time, we’ve moved away from a charity model toward one that centres dignity, choice, and healthy food. Through partnerships, innovative programs, and advocacy, The Depot is transforming the way people think about emergency food — showing that access to good food can also be about learning, sharing, and building community, while mobilizing to address the root causes of poverty and food insecurity. At The Depot, food is just the beginning.
Founded by residents during an economic downturn, the NDG Food Depot begins as an emergency food project of the NDG Community Council at St. Augustine’s Church rectory.
Moves to Oxford Street, where it anchors community food support for the next 20 years.
Expands beyond food baskets, launching complementary programs.
Future partner Action Communiterre launches Quebec’s first collective garden.
Becomes an independent charity with its own board.
The Good Food Box program starts making affordable produce more accessible in the community.
Boîte à Lunch is started by the Youth Table after feedback from schools that kids had inadequate lunches.
Relocates to the basement of Trinity Memorial Church on Marlowe Avenue.
Introduces free drop-in community meals, turning food basket days into opportunities for connection and learning.
Merges with Boîte à Lunch and Action Communiterre, laying the groundwork for a true community food hub.
Starts fundraising for the Fresh Food Fund, creating a dedicated budget to purchase fresh produce for the food bank.
Boîte à Lunch expands to Centre-Sud and eventually to six neighbourhoods across Montreal.
Moves into new spaces on Somerled.
A pivotal year: Recognized as Quebec’s first Community Food Centre, adopts a Healthy Food Policy, and secures a stable home base that allows for lasting transformation.
Food bank shifts to a storefront-style model, with standardized staple foods available each week, centering dignity and healthy food.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, closes all in-person programming and pivots to home delivery to safely reach households. Stops accepting individual food donations, ensuring quality and consistency by purchasing and sourcing bulk foods.
The mini storefront model evolves into a grocery-store-style model, giving households more variety and choice.
Adopts five core values: Social Justice & Solidarity, Equity, Openness, Care, and Dignity & Respect, and formalizes anti-oppression and anti-racism commitments to guide our work.
Community Food Centres Canada invites The Depot to lead Quebec’s new Regional Advocacy Hub, one of six across the country, and The Depot hires a full-time advocacy and engagement coordinator to lead this work.
Launches a five-year strategic plan with a clear vision, mission, and defined objectives across three key impact areas.
Community Contribution Model launches across programs, recognising food security is a spectrum. A sliding scale invites participants to get what they need and give what they can.