On Friday, April 12, the Maison des jeunes des Cèdres, located at 145 rue Valade, officially inaugurated the locality's very first community fridge. Mayor Bernard Daoust and city councillor Lyndsay Simard were on hand to highlight this positive initiative by the community's young people.

" The aim of this project is to reduce food waste and share free food with our community. Citizens are invited to drop off or pick up food, depending on their personal situation. We saw the idea elsewhere and as soon as we proposed it to the members of the youth committee at the Maison des Jeunes, they immediately thought it was a great project and said yes to setting it up. Local young people will be responsible for ensuring that the fridge remains safe and clean, and that it doesn't need any maintenance. It's a great, positive initiative by our young people for their community ,"said Maison des jeunes director Fanny Leblanc.

In the region, there are a dozen community fridges set up by the organization Les Garde-Mangers Partagés de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, created by the Table de concertation en sécurité alimentaire de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. The one in Les Cèdres will feature dry foods or foods that require little preparation and can be enjoyed quickly as snacks.

Boxes will also be placed near the fridge to accommodate more non-perishable foodstuffs.

Ms. Leblanc thanked the Municipality of Les Cèdres, which also accepted and supported the Maison des jeunes in the project." Thank you to Mayor Daoust and the municipal council for their support, their openness and their backing.Without all this, the project would not have been possible. We should also mention that Ferme Amelot, established in Les Cèdres four years ago, is also one of our partners in the project. The farm will regularly drop off its surplus unsold fruit and vegetables for as many people as possible to enjoy.

For her part, Councillor Simard made a point of speaking at the fridge inauguration. "As soon as I was approached about this project, I was convinced because of its positive nature for the community.As a former president of the Incroyables comestibles and a fervent supporter of community gardens, this project appealed to me a lot because it's in the same vein. I supported it 100% and I'm delighted to see it come to fruition. It avoids waste and I'm sure that the fridge will be well used by local families and that it will meet a need.Thanks to our young people for this project, it's a great source of pride."