April 29, 2022

Food insecurity is a serious problem in many Canadian communities and this is especially true among children in Montréal, which has the highest rate of child poverty in Quebec. 

Studies show healthy eating is linked to academic success. Since 1991, the team at Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous has delivered more than 9 million hot and nutritious meals to thousands of children at more than 30 primary schools in the Montreal area, 75% of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous promotes equity and inclusivity by offering warm, healthy and affordable meals to underserved school children. The organization also partners with schools, offering catering services, giving parents an opportunity to buy affordable, quality meals for their children, every day of the school year.

Recognizing a need

CGI first began working with Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous, after an employee familiar with the organization proposed a project as part of Dream Connectors, one of CGI’s corporate social responsibility programs.

The initial plan called for redoing the front end of the organization’s application to make it more mobile-friendly. But after careful consideration, a rewrite of the entire site using an open-source, license-free content management system called Drupal, was agreed upon.

The redesign began with creating new wireframes and mock-ups, then ensuring the new screens were optimized for user flow. A CGI web designer, along with a user experience expert ensured best practices were followed throughout. A business analyst made sure the needs and functionalities were documented and added to the scope of the project. Finally, the site was developed, tested and deployed by the CGI team. Today, the process of enrolling children is easier for parents.

“The site is intuitive, simple and effective,” said Amélie Villemure, the food service coordinator at Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous. “By making the user experience easier for parents, it lightens the workload of our team, while optimizing our customer service.”

Ghislaine Théoret, Director, Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous, adds she appreciates CGI’s dedication to their mission. 

“We would like to recognize the generous collaboration of the formidable CGI team for this project, Théoret explains. It involved many challenges and required meticulous design and creative expertise.”

CGI’s commitment

CGI is making a commitment to maintain the website, on a long-term basis, and working with the organization to address any questions or concerns, ensuring that Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous continues fighting food insecurity in Montreal. One of the CGI members who led the web project is Marco De Vette, who says he found this project particularly satisfying.

“Being able to have an impact with a local non-profit organization is very rewarding for me.” De Vette explained. “What Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous accomplishes day in and day out is so important to families. A long-term partnership will allow them to focus on their mission and benefit from what our expertise and technology brings to them, without the technology being a source of concern.”

The team behind this CGI Dream Connectors’ initiative is honoured to embark on this mission with Le Garde-Manger Pour Tous.