THE GREEN PIRATES: FROM FOOD BANK TO HEAT SHELTER

The volunteers of The Green Pirates collect food from grocery store surpluses and donations in order to redistribute it. Patrick (centre), who manages the day-to-day operations, stores and distributes the food with the other volunteers during a busy Tuesday.

PHOTO: Lucas Sodano, 3 février 2026

On January 24 and 25, the food bank The Green Pirates opened the doors of its premises on Sainte-Catherine Street in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood to people experiencing homelessnes. During that weekend, temperatures dropped to -25°C. Despite the opening of new heat shelters by the administration of Ms. Martinez Ferrada, many were unable to reach them and instead took refuge in metro stations to keep warm.

The initiative came from the founder of the non-profit organization, Raïs Zaidi, who has been working with various Montreal communities for more than ten years. We went on site and spoke with Mr. Zaidi as well as Bachir Roukos, a volunteer who participated in the initiative and who spoke to us about the organization’s mission.

Listen to our podcast to discover how this initiative took form and why non-profit organizations like The Green Pirates are so important for Montreal communities.