Welcome! Bienvenue!

The MUCS project is a home for community building and a centre for urban sustainability.  At our community hub in NDG, we host a neighbourhood kitchen, a food surplus redistribution network, and popular education activities. 

Le Projet MUCS est un toit pour développer une communauté et stimuler des activités urbaines durables.  À NDG, notre espace abrite une cuisine collective, un réseau de redistribution alimentaire et des ateliers d'éducation par et pour tous.

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The MUCS Project has some important news to share with you:

Dear friends, supporters, donors, volunteers, partners, MUCSers -

MUCS is closing down. As of the end of May, there will no longer be Community Restaurant Night on Thursdays in the kitchen - where new volunteers have been helping experienced ones make delightful meals from the generous gifts we receive through the Zero Food Waste network. Our faithful and supportive board members will move on to other projects, as will most of the staff members. We won't have piles of compost waiting by the door to be picked up, or boxes of newly arrived surplus to be sorted through by the Monday, Wednesday or Thursday Zero Food Waste volunteer crews.

So in a way it is a kind of death, a passing, for us to let go of all of these programs and patterns that concretely identify what MUCS "is". But seen in another light, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the dreams and aspirations that MUCS served as both a place to gather together and imagine together how visions of another world can be created in myriad, funky ways.

Since it's inception, MUCS has defiantly continued to exist despite virtually no external funding: it thrived on generous helpings of volunteer energy, reusing what others considered waste, and a large measure of hope. This magical combination kept open the doors for almost four years, creating a physical home for experimenting with urban sustainability and community building, a space where anyone could walk in the door and see a way that they could contribute or create. The Canning Coop, the Integrated/ Community Design Process, the Dining Coop, the Zine series, Northcliffe Square collective office space, the Freeschool, The Montreal Permaculture Guild, the Kitchen Collective, the Afghan Women's Centre, the Zero Food Waste network, ArtSpace, CoTeam, Heart of MUCS, Anti oppression & safer spaces trainings, skillshares, Community Restaurant, movie nights, open houses, open mic nights, Communities of Change... all of these projects, ideas, organizations were brought to life because of or with the support of MUCS.

MUCS has always tried to live in a space 'between', trying to create an opening, a description that felt appropriate in the sea of labels and structures that never quite fit: service provider? charity? social economy hub? social work space? cooperative? non-hierarcichal management? membership-driven community organization? social change instigator? At times we were all of these things, at times none. Over the past year or so, we attempted to solidify things into a structure that we hoped would be more sustainable: we worked on policies and handbooks, hired staff, ran a major fundraising campaign, worked on an application for charitable status. We tried to use the tools of these various other structures in our own way, hoping to bend them to carve out a niche for ourselves that would allow us to have access to funding sources that we needed while at the same time continuing to be this strange and wacky place that met the tangible and intangible needs of so many people.

Ultimately, though, in striving for sustaining our organization we have found it's time to let go of the structures we've created, and look towards ways we can go forward in our lives, taking with us the quirky lessons that we've learned here at MUCS.

There will still be Thursday night dinners until the end of May - Angela will be hosting a cake-making workshop on May 20th and Marianne will be baking up a kid-friendly cookie storm on May 27th. The Zero Food Waste network will be carried on by one of our partner organizations, and we'll hopefully be able to pass on the kitchen and Northcliffe Square to organizations who are excited about keeping it going as a community space (if you know of anyone who might be interested, email us at space@mucs.ca). Ted would like to extend an invitation to you to keep the MUCS cooking spirit alive with him in another location - please email him at ted@mucs.ca if you're interested.

We'd love you to join us in celebrating the short but effervescent life of MUCS on the evening of June 4th for a drink, a meal, some remembering, and a great party - the invitation to "The Last Hourrah" is posted below.

We'd also like to gather stories about your experience at MUCS and what it means to you that we're closing. If you've got something you'd like to share, let Andy know (andytrull@gmail.com). Attached is a poem written by Andy about MUCS called "songs of possibility" as a possible inspiration for your reflections. There will also be an opportunity to record videos, writing or creating art at the closing party.

Please send your favourite MUCS pictures to karolina@mucs.ca if you'd like them to be in the slide show at the closing party.

As a formality, we will be holding a Special General Meeting on June 1st at 6pm to legally close the organization. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to steph@mucs.ca

Finally, is there something you've always wanted to do at MUCS but never found the time? Host a workshop, cook a meal, build a solar powered car, dig your hands into a pile of rotting mangoes? Email Steph at steph@mucs.ca and we'll try to find a way to make it happen.

We wish to make this transition as smoothly and gracefully as possible. If you would like to make a donation to MUCS to help us to have the resources to honour all those who took part in this project, that would be greatly appreciated. Cheques can be written out to MUCS or you can donate through Paypal on our website, www.mucs.ca

If you would like any more detailed information about the closing, please give us a call 514 312 7074 or email us at info@mucs.ca

Thank you to all of you who have had a hand in creating this magical space.

with love from Andy & Steph, on behalf of the MUCS Core & Board.

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«Que nous faut-il pour parvenir à laisser place à nouvelle vie?»

Vanessa Reid, à propos de la clôture du magazine Ascent

Chers amis ,adhérents , donateurs, bénévoles et partenaires, «MUCSers»

MUCS ferme. À compter de la fin mai il n'y aura plus de soirées Restaurant communautaire les jeudis à la cuisine. Au cours de ces soirées restaurant, de nouveaux bénévoles ont apporté leur aide à d'autres plus expérimentés pour concocter de délicieux plats réalisés grâce à des dons reçus du réseau Zéro Gaspillage Alimentaire. Nos membres du Conseil d'administration, loyaux et solidaires, vaquerons à leur propres activités comme la plus part des membres de l'équipe.

Nous n'auront pas beaucoup de compostage à collecter, ou de boîtes de surplus à trier par les équipes de bénévoles de Zéro Gaspillage Alimentaire comme ils l'ont fait les tous lundis ,mercredis ou jeudis.

C'est un peu une sorte de mort, mais aussi une occasion de revenir sur les rêves et les aspirations que Mucs a nourri en rassemblant afin d'imaginer ensemble des myriades de possibilités géniales de créer un autre monde. MUCS a continué a exister de manière récalcitrante en dépit de l'absence quasi totale de subventions, eta toujours tenté d'exister dans un espace hybride tentant d'ouvrir une brèche, de coller a une définition qui lui corresponde dans une mer de structures et d'appellations qui ne convienne jamais tout à fait. Tantôt nous étions toutes ces choses à la fois et parfois aucunes.

Les dîners du jeudi soir se poursuivront jusqu'à la fin mai-Angela animera un atelier de gâteaux le 20 mai et Marianne préparera des supers biscuits: activité parfaite pour les enfants et ce le 27 mai. Le réseau Zéro gaspillage alimentaire sera repris par un des organismes partenaires et sera, espérons le, en mesure de donner la cuisine et Northcliffe Square a des organismes enthousiastes à l'idée de préserver sa vocation d'espace communautaire.(Si vous connaissez des gens qui auraient un intérêt contactez nous à space@mucs.ca).Ted vous invite à perpétuer l'esprit de la cuisine de MUCS en un autre lieu. Si cela vous intéresse envoyez un lui courriel à ted@mucs.ca.

Nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous pour célébrer la vie brève et cependant effervescente de MUCS le 4 juin en soirée pour prendre un verre manger , et se souvenir au cours d'une super fête. Plus d'information suivra d'ici quelques semaines.

De plus nous voudrions recueillir vos témoignages sur votre expérience à MUCS et vos sentiments sur la fermeture. Si vous avez quelque chose à partager faite le savoir à Andy(andytrull@gmail.com).

Envoyez ,s'il vous plait ,vous photos préférées de MUCS à karolina@mucs.ca. si vous voulez qu'elle apparaissent dans un diaporama lors de notre soirée de clôture.

Une assemblée générale annuelle aura lieu comme formalité le 1 er juin à 18h00 afin de clore légalement l'organisme. Si vous voulez y assister veuillez réserver à steph@mucs.ca

Pour plus d'information sur la fermeture veuillez téléphoner au (514)312 70 74 ou par courriel à info@mucs.ca

Nous tenons à ce que cette transition soit gracieuse et fluide. Si vous voulez faire un don à MUCS afin de nous aider à honorer tous ceux et celles qui ont participé à ce projet ; nous apprécierions vraiment. Vous pouvez libeller vos chèque à l'odre de de MUCS ou faire un don via paypal sur notre site web: www.mucs.ca

Merci à tous ceux qui nous ont prêté main forte pour créer un lieu magique.

Affectueusement Andy& Steph au nom de l'équipe de MUCS et du Conseil d'administration.