Photo: Martin C. Barry
Agape social worker Ian Williams and Betty McLeod at the group’s annual general
meeting on June 17.

Agape expects to see a dramatic increase in community needs in the coming year, according to the Chomedey-based charity’s annual report. From January to April in 2009, Agape received 33 new families. During the same period of 2010, 60 new families were added to Agape’s list of urgent needs. Agape plans to reach out to new groups and associations in order to obtain additional food and financial support.

Some tough years
The past few years have been tough, Greg Young, president of the board of directors, said during Agape’s annual general meeting on June 17. Although a recession has caused widespread financial losses, job layoffs, cutbacks and hard times for many people, Agape continues in accordance with its vision to help those in need in the community, while serving a higher cause.
On July 3, Agape will be celebrating its 15th anniversary of being located in a storefront and offices on Notre Dame Boulevard in Chomedey. “It doesn’t matter what’s thrown at us, we get through it,” Young said, echoing the sentiments of all those who showed up for the meeting to show their support. “Agape surges forward against all adversity on its voyage to fulfill the will of God in our community. May we all seek his will and imitate his goodness in our everyday trials to serve our community and everyone who walks through our doors.”

Activities continue
According to a report on the group’s activities over the past year, Agape continues to feed the needy families of Laval on a daily basis. Approximately 5,200 people receive support from Agape annually, representing a minimum of 1,250 families each year. Three times a week, bread, pizzas, muffins and pastries from shops in Laval are placed outside on a table for needy families. Canned fruits and vegetables, cake mixes, pasta, sauce, rice, flour and other necessary items are also supplied to those in need.
Agape also distributes clothes good enough to last a season to newly arrived refugees, immigrants, fire victims, mothers leaving shelters and the needy. The organization also runs a transition house where the financial and material needs of four families can be taken care of at one time. During their stay, the families take part in a budget reform program, can return to school and receive other types of assistance.

Other programs
In conjunction with the Community Health and Social Services Network, Agape also runs a program to encourage healthy eating habits among seniors. Other programs and services which Agape made available over the past year included Healing the Family for victims of abuse and violence, Children First for vulnerable children, Clear Head, Clean Soul for persons with substance abuse problems, a Christmas-time program which fed about 5,200 people, and a very successful daycare program.
Among other things planned for the coming year, Agape will be prioritizing efforts to obtain better health and social services in English in Laval, especially where children are concerned. In conjunction with the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN), Agape was able to obtain the services of Ian Williams, an English language social worker, who has been retained on a three-year contract. “There is a serious lack of services available in English in the health and social services institutions of Laval,” the annual report states.

Prioritizing English services
Agape hopes to gather information on “what is working well and not working so well for mental health services offered in the public sector. We’ll also need to evaluate how services are accessed by Anglophones and see to the quality and ease of access to match that level to that of the majority group. Such issues that will be examined are how well service users navigate from one installation to another in accessing services in mental health.” According to the report, Agape wants to make sure appropriate follow-up services are available in cases where service users go to Montreal for specialized treatment and return to Laval when treatment has ended.