Centre Flavie Expansion
What started as a side project for two Grey Nuns in 1979 has now become a beacon of hope and generosity in Winnipeg. From distributing goods from the Sister’s provincial house, to a purpose-built facility on Archibald Street in 2023, Centre Flavie has been providing no-cost household goods, furniture, clothing and toys for nearly half a century.
The times have changed in those decades, but the needs in community have remained the same, if not increased. When Centre Flavie realized that their location on Provencher Boulevard was no longer big enough to meet demand, Réseau Compassion Network offered support in the form of a real estate consultant and project manager, Raymond Simard, as well as a $550,000 financial contribution to launch the fundraising campaign.
“The contribution that RCN made towards our new location allowed us to concentrate on enriching our mission instead of constantly raising funds and that makes a huge difference,” shares Gilbert Vielfaure, Executive Director of Centre Flavie. “The services that Raymond provided us meant we had a superior construction quality which equals durability and ensures we can deliver the best services possible to our clients.”
The warehouse location at 301 Archibald Street is on a bus route, which allows patrons to easily access the building. The space boasts 13,000 square feet where over 100 families a day are served, and a mighty team of volunteers sort and categorize every item donated to the Centre for distribution. In 2019, over 54,000 items were taken home by clients, a number that has surely gone up.
“We are seeing a shift in the populations using our services,” admits Vielfaure. “There are more and more families in general, as well as immigrants, refugees and the working poor. The need is great, no doubt.”
This is why the contributions of RCN have made such a difference to the mission. “We genuinely couldn’t have truly upheld our ideals through this construction project and move-in without RCN supports,” Vielfaure concludes. “Their contributions made the difference between a ‘normal’ project and an extraordinary one. We are forever grateful.”
To learn more about Centre Flavie, please visit:
Gilbert Vielfaure, pictured at the official opening of the new Centre Flavie space on Archibald Street. With him, Julie Turenne-Maynard, former Board Chair, who was instrumental to the success of their capital campaign.