Let’s Tackle Hunger, Together

Food Insecurity in Memphrémagog & Stanstead: Why It Matters

Halloween is usually about costumes and candy, but this year in Stanstead it will also be about something more urgent: hunger. While many families enjoy the season’s traditions, others in our own community are struggling to keep food on the table.

A Growing Local Challenge

Food insecurity is rising across the Estrie region. Since 2019, food aid requests have increased by 67 percent. In the Memphrémagog area, demand went up 44 percent last year alone, with children particularly affected: the number of young people relying on food assistance has climbed by 73 percent.

The reality is that hunger is not limited to those out of work. Increasingly, working families - people balancing jobs, housing costs, bills, and rising grocery prices - are also turning to food banks. Here in Stanstead, local food programs are serving more families, seniors, and children than ever before. The need is clear, and it is urgent.

Community Action

Several organizations are stepping up to meet this challenge. Banque Alimentaire Memphrémagog, Estrie Récolte, the CéSAM food security network, and CAB Stanstead Rediker are working hard to provide food and support. CAB, in particular, has made food security a seasonal priority with its annual Trick or Eat campaign - a tradition that brings the community together to support neighbours in need.

Phelps Helps also sees the importance of food in its daily work. By providing free, nutritious meals and snacks at all tutoring sessions and events, Phelps ensures that children and youth in its programs can focus on learning without the distraction of an empty stomach.

Halloween Night of Lights & Canned Good Collection

This year, CAB is inviting the community to the Halloween Labyrinth and Canned Good Collection:

Friday, October 31 5:00 – 8:00 pm 492 Dufferin, Stanstead

Participants are encouraged to bring non-expired canned or non-perishable food items. Each item donated earns an entry in a raffle for one free hour of ice time at the Pat Burns Arena.

At the same time, students from Phelps Helps and Stanstead College will continue the tradition of going door-to-door on Halloween night, collecting non-perishable food items to help restock local food programs.

How to Take Part

• Visit the Halloween Labyrinth with donations

• Contribute when Trick or Eat volunteers come to your door

• Organize a small collection at your school, workplace, or place of worship

• Donate directly to your local food bank

For more information about the event or the door-to-door collection, call 819-876-7748.

Why It Matters

Food insecurity touches every part of community life. It affects health, creates stress, and makes it harder for children to learn. But initiatives like Trick or Eat, the Night of Lights event, and programs that integrate food into education show what is possible when people come together.

This fall, every donation—whether a single can or a box full—helps ensure no one in Stanstead is left behind.