Feeding the Community: The Montreal Man Giving Back to His City

Apr. 8th 2023 • Feature Profile • Concordia Reporting Assignment

Mael Lalancette, 45, sits at his dining room table after his day of work roofing buildings in Montréal Nord.

A facial tattoo peaks just above his eyebrows in the shadow of his baseball cap. Lines of age and experience weather the portion of his face not covered by his long scruffy beard.

He speaks with a thick Quebecois accent to his family surrounding him. They laugh together as they try to translate their thoughts into English. Immediately, his appearance contrasts with his demeanour. One may not expect that this man has dedicated the last year to providing food for people in need.

Lalancette is the founder of Croc Bouffe, an organization that helps fight hunger for the less fortunate. They create wooden donation boxes and place them throughout Montreal. People donate food to the boxes, and anyone passing by can take what they need. Lalancette builds the boxes, cleans them, repairs them and manages the organization.

Lalancette, as a father, and community member, has come to be attentive to the city’s issues. But, unlike many, he decided to take action. With inflation forcing more and more people into food insecurity, Lalancette’s not-for-profit organization has never been more necessary. According to Statistics Canada, food prices increased by 8.9 per cent in 2022. Croc Bouffe currently has 24 points of service, but Lalancette’s goal is to have 50 by the end of 2023. Based in Ville-Marie, the organization aims to create an easy-access system of food donation and exchange. Lalancette explained how current resources, such as food banks, are being overrun and cannot supply adequate service to everyone in need.

“It is wrong that a mother working a full time job is not able to feed her children,” he said.

The idea started a year ago when a friend showed him a similar project in the U.S. “It's time for someone to change the food aid system,” said Lalancette, “that's why I decided to do my part.”

Using recycled wood he found around the neighbourhood of Ville-Marie, he started building. On sunny days, Lalancette and a friend will set up tables in their yards and work on building boxes. In order to balance work, family and Croc Bouffe, Lalancette works in bursts. He will dedicate one full day every couple of months to repairing and creating boxes.

As the project gained traction by expanding its reach with new stations and creating social media accounts, both positive and negative reactions ensued. Marie-Claude Baril, district councillor of the Pointe-aux-Trembles district, praised the work of Lalancette and the mission of his initiative. She has arranged for the borough council to start supplying wood and materials for the project.

This was a huge step in the right direction, said Lalancette. Often the recycled materials would not hold up in the harsh conditions of Montreal, and buying new plywood was too costly. There is also an active GoFundMe to donate money or wood. With a reliable source of materials, the future of the organization was looking up.

However, some residents took to the Croc Bouffe Facebook page to express their disapproval. There were complaints that people who did not appear to be in need were taking food from the boxes. Some said they had visited stations multiple times only to find them empty. As if complaints of poor management weren’t enough, Lalancette has experienced repeated acts of vandalism. People have found multiple boxes destroyed and strewn on the ground.

Lalancette and his wife actively post updates on the Croc Bouffe Facebook page. They responded to the backlash in a statement, explaining that they hear the issues and know it is frustrating; however, they cannot control the actions or dishonesty of others, “This project is to help his fellow man [... ] That's the risk, unfortunately.” They received abundant support in the comments commending them for their resilience and efforts. One neighbour has even offered their garage as a space to work. With this, Lalancette is planning to build and install another 12 boxes before the spring relaunch.

Lalancette has not been easily deterred from the project, perhaps because he has first-hand experience with the battle of hunger.

Growing up in Saint-Barthélemy, his family faced the challenges of being poor. His home was not an ideal space for a young man to succeed. He never experienced stable housing and was instead placed in temporary care homes like reception centers for several years. “I spent a good part of my youth traveling between group homes and my family, where I never really felt like I belonged,” said Lalancette.

In his early adulthood, he struggled with alcohol and drugs. However, applying the resilience he still carries with him today, he went to school at Polyvalente Pierre-de-Lestage in Berthierville and was able to reassess his future.

After working unhappily at a job for several years, he switched to roofing. As a child, Lalancette loved the idea of working in construction; being outside and moving his body all day suits him best. Between roofing, photography and time with family, Lalancette’s passions now fill his life.

Today, he is the father of a 3-year-old and husband to Josée Provencher. All three members of the family contribute to Croc Bouffe in different ways. His wife takes care of the online aspect and designs the logo.

In the kitchen, Provencher has been quietly sitting next to her husband until she is asked about her art. The inquiry is met with an enthusiastic response and a smile of flattery. Provencher is an artist who specializes in painting. Together the couple shares their love of visual arts.

As Lalancette speaks of his daughter, Maeve, a smile grows across his face. “My daughter is always ready to help me,” said Lalancette. He referenced the other day when she came rushing up with her paintbrush, ready to help coat the boxes.

Maeve has been frolicking around the kitchen with a sugar high from a cupcake she had just finished. She smiles at her father, the remnants of icing dotting her nose.

Growing up in an area of southern Quebec where English is almost non-existent, being French is ingrained in Lalancette’s dialect and character. He learned to speak English on the job in Montreal. Despite a language barrier, there exists not an ounce of hostility in his air.

“Being francophone is a big part of my identity but actually, I live in the most beautiful, cultural city of Quebec and for me the most important thing is to help others,” said Lalancette.

There is ongoing tension between French and English residents of Quebec. Lalancette explained that as a francophone, he does not want to create a divide between Quebecois folk and foreigners. Montreal is a place for all, and everyone is welcome.

In both his personal life and the Croc Bouffe project, Lalancette wishes to support the people of Montreal, “You can be Russian, Muslim, anyone, I’m here to help all.”

The success of Croc Bouffe hinges on community collaboration and therefore calls for more people to have a mindset like Lalancette. “We need to keep working together,” he said. “The future of Croc Bouffe and Montreal at large is bright if everyone pitches in their part.”