La Cantine pour tous develops and coordinates two programs with a common goal: to make food more accessible. Through a network of member organizations, we provide affordable meals to children and seniors.
We believe that everyone should have access to quality food, regardless of age, circumstances, or income. Through our programs, La Cantine pour tous takes concrete action to remove the barriers that prevent many people from accessing it.
Food insecurity
affects nearly
Quebecers
La Cantine dans les écoles is an affordable, non-stigmatizing school lunch solution for elementary school students in Quebec.
Its “pay-what-you-can” sliding-scale pricing system ensures that children have access to nutritious meals regardless of their family’s financial situation.
The program fosters community vitality by entrusting the preparation and delivery of meals to certified local social and solidarity economy organizations that are members of the collective.
La Cantine dans les écoles is about working toward educational success, health, and equal opportunity.
A healthy and adequate diet helps create conditions that promote concentration, learning, and academic success among students.
Every dollar invested in a universal school meal program would generate between $3 and $10 in benefits, particularly through reductions in long-term healthcare costs.
The recipes are approved by La Cantine pour tous based on criteria established by nutritionists and based on Canada’s Food Guide, to promote healthy eating habits starting in childhood.
Under the “pay what you can” approach, each family is free to choose how much they wish to pay for their child’s meal, starting at $1, with no proof of income or conditions required. Regardless of the amount paid, the meal is the same for everyone. The amount paid remains completely confidential and is not disclosed to either the school or the local caterer.
Our goal is to offer the program to all elementary schools in Quebec. As part of its rollout, however, we are prioritizing schools located in communities with the greatest needs, based on data from the Ministry of Education and the capacity of our member organizations to provide support.
La Cantine dans les écoles receives support from the governments of Canada and Quebec as part of the National School Meals Program, launched in 2024. This funding helps supplement families’ contributions, keep meals affordable, and ensure a stable income for the member organizations that prepare them.
La Cantine à domicile is a program that delivers affordable frozen meals.
Customers can purchase meals—online or by phone—that are prepared and delivered by certified social and solidarity economy organizations that are members of the collective.
Originally designed to support older adults, the program helps them maintain their independence and makes it easier for them to continue living at home. It is also available to anyone who wants to simplify meal planning.
La Cantine à domicile includes a subsidized pricing component for people aged 55 or older who are economically vulnerable and referred by professionals in the health and social services network.
By 2031, one in four people in Quebec will be 65 or older. Our program promotes seniors’ independence and helps them continue living at home by providing easy access to affordable, ready-to-eat meals.
By making affordable meals more accessible, La Cantine à domicile helps prevent situations where people have to skip meals for financial reasons.
Meals are prepared by nonprofit organizations with strong ties to their communities. The program thus helps support local jobs and organizations that generate social benefits in their communities.
Visit Social Pricing for La Cantine à domicile enables seniors in economically vulnerable situations to order frozen ready-to-eat meals, paying only a fraction of the meal price.
Unlike meal services provided by private companies, this program is tailored to the needs of seniors: there are no commitments and no automatic renewals. We also offer phone ordering and pay-at-the-door options, subject to certain conditions.
The development of the program and the subsidized pricing for La Cantine à domicile are made possible exclusively through the support of our donors and our Financial Partners, as this program does not receive any public subsidies.
Across Quebec, our member organizations bring our programs to life by preparing and delivering meals within their communities. Their expertise, on-the-ground knowledge, and commitment are essential to providing services tailored to local realities.
Our members are nonprofit or social economy organizations that use food to serve their communities. In addition to preparing meals, most of them pursue a social mission specific to their region, thereby creating positive impacts that go far beyond food assistance.
