Resto-Vie’s demise a real shame

Just down Gouin Boulevard from where Resto-Vie will close its doors as early as tomorrow, Nerina Lafrance Street sits quietly. We can only imagine that right now, the patron saint of the West Island’s underprivileged is turning over in her grave.

Founded in 1985 by Lafrance, Resto-Vie started life as a community kitchen in the basement of Ste. Suzanne Church and grew into a provider of nourishment for schoolchildren who weren’t getting enough to eat. It was a place where you could get a good, nutritious meal for pennies on the dollar.

When Lafrance died in 2001, she couldn’t possibly have imagined that her dream would follow her into the afterlife less than a decade later, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen unless Resto-Vie’s administration wins the 6/49 tonight.

West Island Community Shares will announce its recipients of grants today, and The Chronicle has learned that WICS, which has supported Resto-Vie since its inception in 1998, will no longer commit funds to the community kitchen.

WICS said that’s because “there were certain parts of the file that are deemed to risky,” to commit funds to.

In English, that means another $40,000 to a group that has, well, accountability issues, didn’t really sound like a good investment. So Resto-Vie will close its doors, and life for the underprivileged will get worse instead of getting better. The West Island Assistance Fund, which operates a food bank, is trying to cover some of the slack by providing milk and food to needy students, but that organization is in no position to assume all of Resto-Vie’s operations.

Resto-Vie’s previous administration ought to be shamed by what they have allowed to happen. They were charged with safeguarding a badly needed community institution and they have failed and the new directots couldn’t get it back on its feet. It’s disappointing to some, a crying shame for many, and absolutely catastrophic for those West Islanders who relied on Resto-Vie to help feed their children on a daily basis.

Safe to say many of the members of the administrative council don’t have the same problems feeding their families that Resto-Vie’s clients have. Then maybe they would have given their jobs a little more attention instead of letting Resto-Vie end its mission in this inglorious manner.

Somewhere, Nerina Lafrance is watching. I bet she’d like some answers too.