Montreal Gazette - Welcome hall mission puts smiles on faces of about 2,000 children at annual Christmas event

The Welcome Hall food bank distributes 65 tonnes of goods to 1,200 needy Montrealers every week. The client list has swelled by more than 12 per cent this year.

In addition to nourishment, Welcome Hall provides financial advice and help at income tax time: free preparation of between 300 and 400 tax returns. The mission also has a job creation program in which people who have been out of work for a while can sort food and clothing at the Acorn St. facility…

In February, Welcome Hall will launch a $300,000 state-of-the-art dental clinic. The initiative, in cooperation with McGill University's faculty of dentistry, will be a first for Montreal's homeless.