After greater than three a long time on the head of a West Island group centered on meals safety and group assist, Kim Reid has stepped down from On Rock Neighborhood Providers, passing management to his daughter in a transition years within the making.
Reid, the group’s founder and now retired president, formally stepped away March 1, closing a chapter that started with a small youth drop-in centre and grew right into a meals financial institution serving greater than 300 households every week.
Humble beginnings, surprising path
When Reid launched what would change into On Rock within the late Eighties, the purpose was to not sort out meals insecurity however to create a protected area for younger folks.
He described the early days as casual and energetic, recalling that the centre functioned as “principally an arcade, greasy spoon, loud music, numerous youngsters working round.”
The group’s pivot towards meals safety got here step by step — and considerably unexpectedly — when a volunteer working a small meals financial institution started utilizing the area. As her visits turned much less frequent, Reid and his crew realized that they had successfully taken over the operation.
On the time, this system supported only a few dozen households every week. That quantity would steadily climb, significantly within the mid-2000s and once more throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand surged sharply.
“We by no means noticed this going within the path that it did,” Reid stated, reflecting on the group’s development.
Progress brings complexity — and alter
As On Rock expanded, so did the calls for of working it. What started as a grassroots effort developed right into a large-scale operation with workers, volunteers and vital infrastructure.
Reid stated the growing administrative and technical duties made it clear {that a} transition would ultimately be needed.
“It simply began to get to the purpose the place I used to be great when it was this measurement,” he stated, referring to the group’s earlier years. “However then we grew to the purpose the place we had so as to add IT and all types of different difficult stuff that I’ve little interest in.”
On the similar time, Reid was eager about the group’s long-term future. Guaranteeing its survival past his management turned a central precedence.
“An enormous factor for me was this group needed to hold working after I retired in any other case I failed,” he stated.
A successor steps ahead
That future took form inside his circle of relatives. Kayla Reid, now government director, turned concerned throughout the pandemic after serving to launch On Rock’s thrift retailer.
Together with her earlier work disrupted, she accepted her father’s invitation to construct one thing new inside the group — a call that shortly developed right into a deeper dedication.
“My coronary heart was right here,” she stated, explaining why she selected to remain relatively than return to instructing artwork courses.
After a number of years working the shop, she moved into an operations function and commenced getting ready for management, working carefully together with her father to study the group from the within out.
“It turned increasingly more clear to me that I undoubtedly needed to fill his very large sneakers when he was able to retire,” she stated.
A altering group, a continuing mission
Underneath Reid’s management, On Rock tailored repeatedly to fulfill shifting group wants — from youth programming to emergency response throughout floods, and later to large-scale meals distribution.
At the moment, that target meals safety stays central, significantly as demand continues to develop in areas typically perceived as prosperous.
“There’s a false impression that the West Island is a wealthier a part of Montreal,” Kayla stated. “However the actuality is we do battle with meals insecurity.”
The group has expanded its attain in response, now serving communities past its conventional base, together with Dorval, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Lachine and LaSalle.
Trying forward
As she steps into the function, Kayla stated her rapid focus is stability — sustaining companies whereas persevering with to develop.
“Actually, I might similar to to have a clean transition as potential,” she stated, including that sustaining latest initiatives, together with the group’s market, will probably be key within the close to time period.
She additionally emphasised the significance of group involvement in sustaining On Rock’s work.
“As I step into his sneakers, we have to proceed to make it possible for we’re doing it as a group,” she stated.
Letting go — with out stepping away
For Reid, the transition represents each an ending and a measure of success. He stated realizing the group will proceed — and stay grounded in its unique mission — made it potential to step again.
“It feels fairly satisfying to stroll away going all proper these guys obtained this,” he stated.
Although retired, he doesn’t count on to be removed from the work he helped construct.
“I’ll at all times be part of it,” he stated. “She will be able to choose up the cellphone and say ‘dad I need assistance’ and I’ll be right here.”