Meet Amandine: the vision behind a hunger-free back-to-school 👋

Amandine Paulin, Director of Programs and Development, underlines the team's collective strength to ensure the success of this new school year and shares La Cantine pour tous's vision for the future.

The start of the new school year is always a busy time for La Cantine pour tous. This year, it was "A colorful event for our team says Amandine. At 171 sites across Quebec, as thousands of children headed back to school, our in-house team and network of catering members faced a double challenge: delivering meals without interruption while deploying a brand new transactional platform. This digital tool is at the heart of the program, where parents order the meals their children need, and caterers manage meal production and delivery.

"It was a real collective marathon: training, support, solving unforeseen problems, while maintaining the quality of the service and the confidence of schools and familiesexplains Amandine.

Innovation for impact

This new platform is more than just an IT tool, it's a springboard for increasing our efficiency and collective impact. It has been designed to simplify life for everyone: parents can now order for several children at once and filter meals according to allergens, schools can manage their calendars more easily, while our in-house team and catering members have a centralized tool for checking recipes and menus before they go online.

Amandine emphasizes that "Behind the technology, the aim is human: to make access to healthy meals as simple and reliable as possible for the families who need it most."

Much more than a meal - a lighter daily routine

In addition to the significant increase in the number of orders received this autumn, it is the testimonials from families that remind us of the real scope of the program, relayed by our customer service department.

"Preparing lunches for three kids every noon is hard." a parent testifies. "Supporting families is incredible and so valuable. You give us an opportunity to support our community directly." says another parent.

This kind of message reflects the essence of our mission to lighten families' daily lives and strengthen local solidarity.

Your support nurtures the future

For Amandine, these words are the driving force behind the organization's ambition;

"Our ambition is clear: that every elementary school student in Quebec has access to a healthy, affordable meal at school, regardless of their family's economic situation."

Achieving this goal will require us to continue expanding the program into new regions and strengthening the capacity of our catering members. The logistical and human challenges are great, but we are convinced that the path has been mapped out.

To our donors, Amandine sends a message of gratitude:

"Your support makes these stories possible and feeds our belief every day that no child should learn on an empty stomach. Together, we can transform an essential need into a right accessible to all."