​Monte Carlo Inns – Providing Hope & Pasta During COVID-19

We at Monte Carlo Inns know it has not been business as usual. Though all 8 of our locations have remained open through the COVID-19 pandemic, our normally bustling and busy corporate and traveller hotels have been rather quiet and still. With all meeting rooms and restaurants shut down, the climate for us has looked rather monotonous lately. We have however been blessed with an amazing team who has kept our staff and customers safe and free of any COVID-19 outbreaks (round of applause).

With all of this spare time and current still nature of our hotels, we thought up an idea to cook meals for those in need, that being anyone who has been over working, not been able to work, or those just unable to get a hot meal for themselves and their families. We began contacting some of our local partners and stumbled upon our dear friends at the Mississauga Convention Centre. Before we knew it, we had pasta donated by Ital Pasta, tomato sauce donated by Primo Fine Foods and a kitchen (equipped with Chef Fernando) at the Mississauga Convention Centre. It turns out that Feed Mississauga, a local organization whose mission is to ensure no one goes hungry in Mississauga, was looking for companies or donors to donate time, money and resources. We were so excited that such a small idea came to fruition so easily. We immediately contacted our chefs, who had been home since March 16, and asked them if they wanted to volunteer with us. Needless to say, we got a great response from our team who was more than happy to use their time in a way that matters. With a few other donations, such as fresh breadsticks from DiManno Bakery in Vaughan and food packaging and serving supplies donated by our dear friends at Professional Sanitation, our day was off to a start. 

Within 2 hours of arrival at the Mississauga Convention Centre, over 1000 meals were cooked, packaged, and ready to be picked up. Volunteer drivers lined up and were given anywhere from 10-100 meals to deliver to people’s homes, community centres and long-term care facilities. We were also blessed to have a visit from the Honourable Mayor Bonnie Crombie, who has been donating much of her time to causes such as this one. 
 
We were humbled by the assistance of our peers and partners, as well as the community in Mississauga. All it takes is one small idea from one company or person, and the ripple affect it creates within the community can be monumental. Thank you Mississauga for being our home for over 30 years and for banding your resources together to lend a helping hand where needed during these difficult time. ​