Share the Warmth: Food, Lunches and After-School Help in Pointe-Saint-Charles

What they do

Share the Warmth (Partageons l’espoir in French) works out of 625 rue Fortune in Pointe-Saint-Charles and serves the Sud-Ouest and Verdun. Its mission is to support the community through inclusive food programs and educational activities for children.

The food bank is choice-based: members pick food that suits their culture and household instead of getting a set box. Since January 13, 2026, they choose on an iPad in Wellington Hall, alone or with a volunteer, then go downstairs to pack their order. Each monthly visit covers four to five days of food. The food bank is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On those same days, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., anyone can come upstairs for a community lunch with dessert and tea or coffee, always with a vegetarian option. For kids, the Afterschool Club offers tutoring and activities for children in grades 1 to 6.

In 2024-2025, the food bank served 3,241 different people, and 975 children regularly benefited from it. The team served 6,942 community meals and delivered 521 baskets to people with reduced mobility, and about 35 regular volunteers gave 8,575 hours.

How it started

In the winter of 1989, three Montreal women started collecting warm clothing and food for people experiencing homelessness. After an appeal in the Montreal Gazette, the response was strong enough that they incorporated in February 1990 and moved to Pointe-Saint-Charles in 1991. The food bank followed in 1992, starting with 39 food boxes a week. A school food program began in 1993, after a teacher at James Lyng High School noticed students arriving hungry, and youth programs came in 2007.

Why it matters this December

Demand has climbed fast. In 2024-2025, visits to the food bank rose 34% and traffic at community lunches rose 17%. Across the island, Moisson Montréal’s Bilan-Faim 2026 counted more than 1.25 million food-aid requests a month. Share the Warmth notes that close to a third of residents in its area live below the poverty line, and December stretches every budget.

The holidays are also when it runs its biggest food drive, Share the Holiday Spirit. In 2024-2025, the campaign raised $315,000 for food security programs. The 2026 campaign dates and goal haven’t been posted yet.

How to help

• Give money. Share the Warmth says every $10 buys $30 worth of food through bulk purchasing. Donate through sharethewarmth.ca, including a food box during the holiday drive.
• Donate food. Non-perishable food is welcome, and groups and companies can run their own food drives.
• Volunteer. Individuals can help in the food bank, the kitchen or at events, once or regularly, and companies can book team days. Community service or compensatory hours can’t be done here.
• Need food? Residents with postal codes starting H3C, H3E, H3J, H3K, H4C, H4E, H4G or H4H can register with ID and proof of address. Elsewhere, dial 211.

Disclosure: Tarek Riman, who runs Montreal Tips, sits on Share the Warmth's board. We included it because of its work, not because of that connection.

Official website sharethewarmth.ca