With its dual objective of improving access to healthy food for all and encouraging local sourcing, the model has proven effective and is now expanding elsewhere in Quebec.
The genesis of an innovative idea
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that inequalities in access to healthy, local, and fresh food became more evident in certain boroughs of Montreal and other areas of Quebec. In Montreal, Carrefour solidaire, a community organization based in Centre-Sud, decided to take action by launching a food voucher project and mobilizing a broad network of local stakeholders.
This is how the Carte proximité took off, becoming the first food voucher program on a plastic card in Canada. Throughout the program, participants receive a monthly amount based on household size, to be used for purchasing food at accredited local businesses that promote short supply chains across 13 Montreal boroughs.
The program enables households experiencing food insecurity to discover new public markets and solidarity grocery stores, while offering them a dignified shopping experience focused on healthy, local products.
“97% of participants surveyed in the 2024 program said they buy more local products than before, and 96% reported having greater knowledge about Quebec’s local products and producers,” explains Laurence Pépin, coordinator of the Carte proximité.
The concept of triple investment
The Carte proximité is based on a triple investment concept:
“One dollar invested in the card is one dollar invested in supporting people facing food insecurity, one dollar in the social and solidarity economy, and one dollar in local agriculture,” she explains.
Five additional projects are currently being developed in Outaouais, MRC des Sources, Haut-Saint-François, Sutton, and Laval. The goal is to scale the Carte proximité to the provincial level.
Isn’t it a breath of fresh air to see a project that supports those struggling to access adequate and sufficient food, while also energizing the local economy and agriculture?
Carrefour solidaire community food center
