Food bank campaign hits the 800,000-meal mark

Since April 4, chefs and kitchen helpers from establishments across Quebec have been firing up their stoves, working hard to produce 1,600,000 meals for the benefit of Quebec’s food banks.
The initiative, known as Les Cuisines Solidaires, was launched by the non-profit organization La Tablée des Chefs, whose mission is to feed people in need and develop culinary education for young people.
Since it started, more than 800,000 portions of food have been cooked and delivered to food banks to feed many people and families in need throughout Quebec. Now halfway to the goal of 1,600,000 portions, Les Cuisines Solidaires hopes to not only reach the goal, but surpass it.
Over the past few weeks more than 500 tons of food has been donated by the entire food industry, including:
o Over 18,000 kilos of potatoes;
o Nearly 1,300 kilos of cherry tomatoes;
o 30 000 kg of liquid eggs;
o 2,688 kg of cheddar cheese;
o Nearly 100,000 kg of chicken;
o More than 35,000 kg of kale.
More than 100 chefs and their teams from across Quebec have cooked meals for Les Cuisines Solidaires.
To raise money for the food, Les Cuisines Solidaires organizers enlisted the help of well-known Quebec personalities to create a short video and offer items up for auction, and also nominate other celebrities to participate in the challenge. The fundraising campaign, known as the Défi Solidaire, donates all profits to the Cuisines Solidaires initiative.
Several personalities have already agreed to take part in the game, including Félix Auger-Aliassime, François Chartier, Patrice Demers, Nicolas Duvernois and Alexandra Stréliski.
To view videos and prizes, visit www.lesdefissolidaires.com.
To date, 14,000 portions were prepared by Les Cuisines Solidaires to help feed people in the Estrie region.
The local participants include:
Festin Royal, a caterer in Sherbrooke, cooked 8,000 portions of roast chicken;
Resto Bar Chez Stanley, a sports restaurant in Sherbrooke, cooked 2,000 portions of roast chicken and 4,000 portions of frittata.
To see the videos and auction items available visit the website www.lesdefissolidaires.com.