DECEMBER TOGETHER
"December Together ", is the NDG Community Council project organised during December. The Council's goal with this Project is to rally the community, residents, and partners, and to highlight their initiatives and activities that will take place during this holiday season. The Council organised and hosted several activities from the 23 of December to the 3 of January.
Objectives
"December Together" aims to break isolation during the end of year holiday period, but also to mobilize residents and partners together to develop a sense of community and solidarity. One objective of this innovative program includes ensuring hundreds of our most vulnerable residents receive the delivery of a holiday meal - a particular need when the closure of most food services and the suspension of food-related activities (group meals, Christmas meals, etc.) are in place. "Together" we strive to support the local economic sector, which has been hard hit by the pandemic. Thus, this project aims to support and build a partnership with local businesses in NDG.
ACTIVITIES
Our December Together project is aiming at putting a smile on isolated residents' faces during the holidays. Both our residents and local businesses need our support during the Holiday season this year!
Donating for December Together allows us to encourage local businesses while supporting our isolated residents. Thank you for your support!
We are proposing a partnership with local businesses to deliver hot meals during the holiday season to approximately 1000 residents who are experiencing more difficult times either socially or financially. A meal, a visit from a volunteer and a smile is simple and will warm the hearts of hundreds of residents during these difficult times! We need your support to help us support as many people as possible. This is an opportunity to bring some comfort and support to the NDG neighbourhood.
Donating for December Together allows us to encourage local businesses while supporting our isolated residents. Thank you for your support!
We are proposing a partnership with local businesses to deliver hot meals during the holiday season to approximately 1000 residents who are experiencing more difficult times either socially or financially. A meal, a visit from a volunteer and a smile is simple and will warm the hearts of hundreds of residents during these difficult times! We need your support to help us support as many people as possible. This is an opportunity to bring some comfort and support to the NDG neighbourhood.
HOW TO BE INVOLVED
If you'd like to get more involved, we're also looking for volunteers to take part in events during the holiday season.
Please contact us for more details at ndgcc@ndg.ca or 514 484 1471.
Your generosity will enable many residents to enjoy some warm moments during this often difficult end-of-year period. Thank you for your invaluable support!
Bring a smile along with food to isolated NDG residents!
Support both residents and local businesses!
Our December Together project is aiming at putting a smile on isolated residents' faces during the holidays. Both our residents and local businesses need our support during the Holiday season this year!
Donating for December Together allows us to encourage local businesses while supporting our isolated residents.
Thank you for your support!
Support both residents and local businesses!
Our December Together project is aiming at putting a smile on isolated residents' faces during the holidays. Both our residents and local businesses need our support during the Holiday season this year!
Donating for December Together allows us to encourage local businesses while supporting our isolated residents.
Thank you for your support!
The community partnership on which this program is based is a must. Many NDG partners and residents will be part of this season's big project either through financial donations, volunteer time, or the creation of activities. A complete list of contributors will be available on the Council's website and our social media. Do you want to be part of it? Contact Julie Cormier at juliecormier@ndg.ca
HISTORY
We would like to thank all our donors and supporters whose generous donations have helped make December a cheerful month of solidarity during the holiday in our neighbourhood.
2025
6th edition of December Together!
Since December 23, we hosted 11 festive events in 11 locations across NDG, made possible by dozens of volunteers. Nearly 1,000 meals were served to our community members.
This program would not have been possible without the generosity of our donors, the incredible dedication of our volunteers, and the invaluable support of our community and business partners.
A heartfelt thank you to: Freakin Poulet, Boustan NDG, Chalet BBQ, Club des Lions de Montréal, Le Dépôt, Walkley Community Centre, Westhaven Centre, St-Raymond Community Centre, YMCA, CLSC Benny, Loyola Youth Association and of course, the entire NDG Community Council team.
Together, we made the holiday season a time of connection, warmth, and solidarity in our neighborhood.
2024
Back for its fifth year, December Together, led by the NDG Community Council, once again brought warmth, connection, and support to the NDG community during the holiday season. Over two weeks, the initiative hosted 11 in-person events—including brunches in seniors’ HLMs and meals in community centers—reaching 619 participants with the support of 64 volunteers, a notable increase from 2023. The 2024 edition successfully broke isolation, reinforced neighborhood solidarity, and supported local partners, showcasing the power of collaboration, community care, and
responsive planning, and setting a strong precedent for continued inclusive mobilisation in NDG.
These events offered freshly prepared or locally sourced meals, including halal, gluten-free, and vegan options, ensuring accessibility for all. By purchasing from and partnering with local restaurants, the Council directly supported the NDG economy, while also forming new business relationships. To reduce food waste, leftovers were repackaged and distributed to attendees or shared through local community fridges. This year, we received 21 whole frozen turkeys, thanks to the Lions Club which were cooked and prepared by the Dépôt team, highlighting again the success of collective work!
2023
For 2023, December Together ran from December 23, 2023, to January 5, 2024 featuring
- 16 events across NDG,
- involving 75 volunteers plus their family members, and
- engaged a total of 752 participants.
It provided hot meals, offered spaces for socialization during the holidays, and highlighted new businesses that opened during or after the pandemic, thus supporting the local economy.
Outreach efforts for December Together were robust, focusing on in-person promotional methods to connect with isolated residents or those unfamiliar with the NDG Community Council. The outreach team conducted door-to-door campaigns in NDG, particularly in the priority sectors of Fielding-Walkley, Benny Farm, Saint-Raymond, Westhaven, and Grand, as well as in seniors' HLMs, knocking on a total of 2000 doors. Calls were also made, especially for the Gilbert-Layton location, and staff called registered participants one day prior to the events as reminders. Additionally, event information was posted on the NDG Community Council website and included in the newsletter.
2022
The initiative launched in 2020 in response to the cancellation of Christmas dinner, has not only persisted but thrived in 2022. Thanks to the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions and strong partnerships , the Council was able to organise the program as a series of nine (9) in-person events for the very first time. From December 23, 2022, to January 1, 2023, residents were invited to gather across the community and enjoy a festive meal.
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What a beautiful way to end our 80th anniversary year! , We thank you and wish you all a very Happy Holidays season and a Happy and Healthy New Year 2023!
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Dear members, partners and friends of the NDG Community Council,
This year 2022 has flown by again and it is already time to take a review. After two years of pandemic, it is with great pleasure that we had the opportunity to welcome residents back for multiple activities: conversation groups, tax workshops, Daddy and Me activities, round tables, community meals and friendly gatherings.
To end the year on a high note, we are working with our partners and local merchants on the December Together project. Nine community meals will be served between December 23rd and January 1st, allowing us to share the joy with nearly 1000 NDG residents. This fantastic project would not be possible without the support of our partners: Centre Walkley, Centre St-Raymond, NDG YMCA, LCSG, OMHM, CLSC Benny and Chez Soi.
It is also thanks to all of you, members and friends of the Council, that we are able to put this together. We invite you to continue to support us:
- By offering your time during the holiday season: VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FORM
- By donating individually wrapped snacks for the children until December 23rd at the Council or at the Benny Library or during the holidays at meal times.
- By making a donation: DONATION FORM
- By participating in the traditional Christmas meal on December 25th at St-Ignatius Church: CHRISTMAS MEAL
If you know of a family or friend who could benefit from one of our meals, do not hesitate to contact Zoey: zoeyxu@ndg.ca. Please find attached the schedule for the December Together meals.
What a beautiful way to end our 80th anniversary year! , We thank you and wish you all a very Happy Holidays season and a Happy and Healthy New Year 2023!
2021
The Initiative in Numbers
We believe that the objectives identified for this project - notably to break isolation and foster a sense of community and solidarity - have all been achieved once again. Believe it or not, this year was even more challenging than the previous one: our holiday coordinator had to be confined as she had closed contact with someone COVID positive a week before the start and so did many volunteers over the period. 100 traditional turkey meals were supposed to be delivered to residents on Christmas day thanks to the Christmas dinner volunteers but instead we received 13 whole turkeys and home-baked cookies that were delivered to families.
The project had a measurable impact on the community, clearly seen through all the excellent feedback and support we’ve received. Behind the statistics are families who brought hot meals to their isolated neighbours, volunteers who walked the streets of NDG with hot chocolate, and local restaurants that turned on their ovens in solidarity with the people of the community.
- 27 volunteers
- 582-holiday meal deliveries from 7 local restaurants over 6 days
- 13 Turkeys were baked and more than 100 packages of homemade cookies were prepared by the NDG Christmas dinner volunteers
- Hot chocolates were served in the streets of NDG, sourced from 2 local restaurants and cafes
We believe that the objectives identified for this project - notably to break isolation and foster a sense of community and solidarity - have all been achieved once again. Believe it or not, this year was even more challenging than the previous one: our holiday coordinator had to be confined as she had closed contact with someone COVID positive a week before the start and so did many volunteers over the period. 100 traditional turkey meals were supposed to be delivered to residents on Christmas day thanks to the Christmas dinner volunteers but instead we received 13 whole turkeys and home-baked cookies that were delivered to families.
The project had a measurable impact on the community, clearly seen through all the excellent feedback and support we’ve received. Behind the statistics are families who brought hot meals to their isolated neighbours, volunteers who walked the streets of NDG with hot chocolate, and local restaurants that turned on their ovens in solidarity with the people of the community.
2020
The Community Council has begun the new year with great joy and satisfaction, and we would like to share this with you! The time has come to release the results of our December Together, a project whose immense success was largely due to your support. We believe that the objectives identified for this project -- notably to break isolation and foster a sense of community and solidarity -- have all been achieved, as demonstrated in the infograph figures below. Our community was together in December, and we look forward to continuing to be together in the years to come.
Behind the numbers that appear on the project's infograph are families who brought hot meals to their isolated neighbours, volunteers who walked the streets of NDG to meet us with hot chocolate, virtual activities full of conviviality that brought people together, and local restaurants that turned on their ovens in solidarity with the people of NDG.
The month of December taught us a clear lesson: no matter how gloomy the situation is, getting through it together is the way to move forward. Although hot Christmas meals were the main theme of the project, the recipe for success is truly based on innovative ideas, collaboration of partners, community involvement, and adequate funding. On this note, the Community Council would like to thank everyone who contributed to this success including Biz NDG, Desjardins, Mme Kathleen Weil, Roasters Foundation, Provigo Mehdi Tallah, Benny Cultural Center, Jabberwocky, Yayo and his editors, Local 75, Boustan, Grand Burger, Ye Old Orchard, Bofinger, Café Oxford, Mate Latte, Griffon d’or, Restaurant de Chou, Second Cup, Le Dépôt, New Hope Center, NDG Art Hive and many many generous residents.
Good news continues to come from all corners of our four sectors, so be on the lookout.