Solidarity Market, an inspiring initiative of members of the Diocese of Edmundston

By Nicolas Kalgora, animator for francophone New Brunswick, and Claudia Lolot, communications officer for the Edmundston diocesan council

From its origins to the success of the 2026 Solidarity Market

It all began in 2023. Following the annual benefit concert, one thing became clear: despite the event’s success and our active presences of over 40 years the region, Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada (DPCC) was not well-known among the general public. A visibility study conducted by Claudia Lolot, communications officer for DPCC’s Edmundston diocesan council, confirmed the need for more outreach activities to make our mission better known. In 2025, this need became a reality. Supported by business administration student Zidane Raab, Claudia developed a bold communications strategy that included new event concepts. This action plan was enthusiastically endorsed by the diocesan council.

Implementation: from strategy to action

In December 2025, Claudia and diocesan council co-chairs Pauline Banville-Pérusse and Serge Saint-Pierre formed a committee to bring to life the flagship event of 2026―the Solidarity Market. The event was design to foster local solidarity to support international solidarity and its goal was for every visitor to leave enriched, whether through an object, a recipe, a piece of advice or an inspiring idea.

An event centered on sharing and partnership

To embody these values, the committee offered free booths to artisans, producers and local organizations seeking greater visibility. The community’s generosity, too was evident in several initiatives:

Gift hampers: Twenty partners generously donate 27 gift certificates worth $1,630 in total, in addition to several wonderful gifts. This allowed us create three lavish gift baskets that generated a lot of excitement. These were raffled off at the end of the day in a festive atmosphere. Congratulations to the evening’s winners:

• Mario Ringuette (hamper worth over $800)
• Rodrigue Martin (hamper worth over $500)
• Andrée Beaulieu (hamper worth $285)

Charity sales: The event’s success was also due to the sale of used books and baked goods lovingly made by our members and their friends.

Exceptional media coverage

Thanks to the excellent work of our media representatives, Claudia Lolot and Ghislaine Clavet, the Solidarity Market received impressive coverage in French media:

1. Développement et Paix Nord-Ouest lance son premier marché solidaire à Edmundston on the CFAI.FM radio station
2. Un premier Marché solidaire aura lieu à Edmundston in the Acadie Nouvelle
3. On the Au Rhythme de l’Église program of the diocese’s radio service
4. On the Frontière FM radio station

Delighted exhibitors looking forward to the next event!

We spoke to exhibitors to gather their impressions of the Solidarity Market, an event sans precedent in the lives of DPCC members in the Diocese of Edmundston. Here are the feelings that a few of them shared:

“We’re thrilled to be here. We want peace, especially right now with everything going on in the world, and we support the cause of DPCC.”
― Danielle Pion and David Séguin, Magasin Micropousse (a health products vendor)

“DPCC is a wonderful cause. We’re grateful to have been invited, and we wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for anything in the world. We’ll be here every time this market takes place.”
― Émile Fotuo, The Farmers’ Circle

Nicole Décarie and Denyse Pelletier, DPCC members who were running a homemade pastry stand, made no secret of their delight at experiencing the event in person. The two women are especially pleased with their friends’ contributions, which allowed them to stock very popular goodies that were selling out quickly:

“It’s the result of the members’ culinary genius,” they said. “Several of us prepared something to bring, and we put it all together on our table. We’re certain everything will be gone by the end of the day.”

This first edition of the Solidarity Market raised over $3,000 for DPCC. The commitment of artisans, the generosity of donors and the media interest prove that there is a real appetite for solidarity in our region. The Solidarity Market has laid the groundwork for a tradition we hope to see growing, confirming that even small local gestures have a global impact.