The Saint Margaret Residential Centre in Montreal has been a focus of community engagement for the Drummond Foundation since Sir George Alexander Drummond and Lady Julia Parker Drummond first offered their support to the original St. Margaret’s Home in 1894.

In the same spirit, the Drummond Foundation sprung into action when the pandemic first hit in the spring of 2020 with the Gratitude and Recognition Project designed to support the staff of the Saint Margaret Residential Centre. The Drummond Foundation wanted to recognize the work of the team of 160 staff who care so diligently for the residents. Over the course of three months, Drummond Foundation volunteers organized three initiatives to support the staff in a difficult time: catered lunches, gift bags and new work shoes.

Catered lunches, May 2020

Small things can make a big difference. In partnership with recreational therapist Wendy Foster and nursing unit head Viki Doucette of the Saint Margaret Residential Centre, community partners and Drummond Foundation volunteers joined together to deliver catered lunches to all staff.

Volunteers prepared the Gratitude Gift Bags and Work Shoes for delivery to Wendy Foster at the Centre

The Gratitude and Recognition Project was shaped by the challenges of the early days of the pandemic. Volunteers organizing the procurement of all the donated items had to ensure that they were in line with early safety guidelines to only use washable items. Sourcing items was especially difficult, as the store shelves were often empty in the spring of 2020. Canadian vendors rose to the occasion and contributed generously to the project.

Saint Margaret staff with their new work shoes

The strong links to a tradition of service that marked the history of the original St. Margaret’s Home motivated the Drummond Foundation volunteers to offer their support. The Gratitude and Recognition Project was an inspired effort to recognize the continued courage and devotion of the staff at the Saint Margaret Residential Centre.    

Many thanks to our Community Partners and Volunteers  

Community Partners: 

Gourmet Lunches: Miss Prêt à Manger (Kimberly Lallouz), Montreal QC

Masks: Sarah Concept, Longueuil, QC 

Neoprene Lunch Bags: Fenigo (Jana Campbell), Waterloo, ON 

Work Shoes: Canadian Tire Corp. – Sports Experts, Canada-wide 

O’Keefe’s Hand Cream: compliments of Canadian Tire Corp. 

Hand Sanitizer and Water Bottles, compliments of Uniprix Feldman and Messias (Sandy Messias), Côte-Saint-Luc, QC 

Volunteers: 

Bruce Drummond McNiven, Marie-Céleste Drummond McNiven, Logan Fulford, Nancy Dunton, Stuart Iversen and Marie Senécal-Tremblay. 

Bas-relief of Sir George Alexander Drummond at Saint Margaret Residential Centre

Artist: R. Tait McKenzie, 1912.