Joël Lefebvre is a local milkman in Pincourt.
During the novel coronavirus pandemic, his business has dropped at schools, restaurants and daycares — but it’s just the opposite for home delivery service.
“I catch around 50 new customers of home deliveries and they buy a lot of stuff because they don’t want to go to stores,” Lefebvre told Global News.
A lot of his trips are in the west island and off island.
“Pincourt, Ile-Perrot, Norte Dame, Vaudreuil-Dorion, West Island, St.Lazare Hudson In St.Lazare and Hudson, they catch a lot of customers,” Lefebvre said.
Deliveries have been expanded to better serve the seniors.
“I go outside, I drop the items, I keep my distance but everyone comes wanting to say hi. I do not go in and they love that.”
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Milk deliveries were a mainstay for families in the 50s and 60s. It was the only way for people to get their dairy products, something Lefebvre’s dad relates to.
“At 13 years old, I was delivering milk as a milkman with a horse; at 23 years old I bought a truck, and I was delivering milk with a truck,” says Mario Lefebvre.
Fast forward a few years after getting the truck, a young Lefebvre joined in on the milk business.
“When I was young, my dad was milkman so I started in the truck with him at 10,” said Lefebvre.
After realizing business was down, his wife decided to help spread the word about the delivery services.
“I decided to make a Facebook page, and it started all the calls, the orders. It’s there to help the community and the people around,” says Chantal Lajeunesse, Joël Lefebvre’s wife.
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That was how Amanda Kuschak found out about the service.
She was actively looking for ways to limit her family’s exposure to the virus, so signing up for home milk deliveries was a no brainer.
“I didn’t know until I started looking for it that we still had milk delivery service, so we found this lovely service that is based out of Pincourt and we signed up right away,” said Kuschak, adding she is thrilled with the service and plans to use it after physical distancing measures are lifted.
“I 100 per cent will keep it. I find that it’s a lot easier it cuts down on the time in the grocery store and I get my essentials and support someone that’s local in my community.”
Joël Lefebvre says that services will continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with possibilities of expanding services beyond after that. He invites everyone in need of a dairy delivery to contact him on his cell 514-916-7470 or via Facebook Les Distributions de Lait Lefebvre inc.