There are many food banks in Montreal. Many of these require proof of Montreal residency and of need (eg. welfare checks), and often have wait lists for people in need of their services who exceed their capacity. Most are volunteer run, and rely on donations from stores and individuals for their supplies. Also, most of the food banks in Montreal get their supplies from Moisson Montreal, a centralized organization who accepts and distributes food donations from individuals, corporations, and producers. While this is an important service, the food coming to food banks via Moisson is the same as that which a person would buy in a supermarket, and therefore has similar negative impacts. However, there are several independent food banks which do not ask for any registration or identification, and sensibly make use of wasted food, securing their supplies via recuperation – less waste for the landfill and less cost for the donating organization.

La Garde-Manger Familiale – A food bank working out of a church basement near Metro Rosemont. $2.50 pays for a backpack full of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a selection of other grocery-store fare (pizza crusts, frozen french fries, canned goods and so on) which you select yourself from their pile of donated and recuperated food.