4 celebrated artists creating mural for Montreal’s MultiCaf food bank auction

Four artists are creating a massive mural for the MultiCaf food bank and planning an auction to support.

A quartet of celebrated artists are putting their brushes where their hearts are to paint a mural, which will be auctioned to support a Montreal food bank.

Carmelo Blandino, Melissa Del Pinto, Kevin Ledo, and Kirsten McCrea are splashing colour on a canvas for the MultiCaf food bank in Côte-des-Neiges.

The non-profit has been operating in the community for the past 35 years and has supported more than 500,000 people, according to a news release.

“Food insecurity is reaching unprecedented levels. We literally need to find creative solutions to meet this growing demand” said MultiCaf executive director Jean-Sébastien Patrice.

Former Dawson College illustration teacher and now renowned artist, Blandino is joining the project for a third year.

“We each come in with our own styles,” he said. “That’s the challenge, but it’s a good one.”

The artists will work until April 7 on the 12 integrated four-by-four foot panels.

The mural will be unveiled on April 8 and the online auction will begin after. The in-person auction will end at the gala on May 21.

MultiCaf now grows a third of its food and hopes to raise that number to a half by using the former Blue Bonnets Hippodrome site.

The centre also provides social services to aid in breaking the cycle of poverty.

“Thanks to this support, 68 per cent of our members no longer rely on our food bank after about eight months,” said social services coordinator Sorina Panas, MultiCaf’s Social Services Coordinator.