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Marins assis à la Maison des marins de Montréal

The Port of Montreal thanks and congratulates the Volendam crew and Holland America for generously donating 320 deck chairs from the Volendam to community organizations in Montreal.

The chairs were distributed among the following organizations:

  • Chic resto pop, one of the organizations the Port of Montreal supports under its community involvement policy. In addition to providing low-cost meals to 600+ people a day, the organization helps the unemployed integrate into the job market and society through a range of training and employability development services.
  • Accueil Bonneau located in the Old Port of Montreal welcomes hundreds of homeless people daily and helps them find their way to social reintegration and stability.
  • Fondation Yvon Deschamps, whose mission is to improve the situation of youth, provides a wide range of sports, recreational, cultural and educational activities and programs for young people, adults and families in the Centre-Sud district and surrounding areas.
  • Mariners’ House of Montreal serves the needs of thousands of seafarers who visit the Port of Montreal each year, where they can feel at home as they heal and rebuild their lives.  

“Our process for donating furniture instead of putting it in landfills is driven by our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. We assess the condition of all offloaded furniture, identifying items that can be reused or repurposed. By partnering with local organizations and charities, we ensure that these pieces go to communities or facilities in need, minimizing waste and extending the life of valuable materials. This not only reduces our environmental footprint but also supports our company's broader goals of circularity and corporate responsibility. In the case of this donation, our ship Volendam, which starts and completes voyages in Montreal during the summer and fall, upgraded dining chairs across our Lido deck. The previous chairs were still in good condition so we were happy to donate them.” — My Nguyen, Director Interior Design & Interior Operations at Holland America Line  

Let’s keep in mind what a special season 2024 was for Holland America. On May 4, during the inaugural call to Montreal of the Volendam, Holland America unveiled a permanent exhibition chronicling the story of 1,500 Ukrainian refugees who lived aboard ship for six months starting in April 2022.

On behalf of all these organizations and for its own part, the Port of Montreal thanks Holland America for its generosity. We also want to highlight the extraordinary support of the ship’s crew, especially Florin Dragomir and Leonie Henry, Hotel General Managers on the Volendam.

 

October 15, 2024