books, games and toys loaned free of charge and with no time limit

It's not Santa's sack but it looks like it. In six small wooden cabinets, you will soon find books, games or toys that you can remove, using a code that unlocks a padlock, after ordering them on the Touraine Educational Authority website.

It was the idea of ​​Daniel Deslandes (1), a resident of Alouette who developed the project as a family alongside his wife and daughter. “We can already subscribe (2) and as soon as we are ready, we will begin the adventure. We hope to be there for Christmashe indicates. The goal then is for it to be Christmas all year round. »

Maximum of five products at a time

The principle is simple and the action is intended to be united. On a website, 3,000 articles (books, comics, games, toys, educational manuals, etc.) have been patiently listed. “You can borrow up to five products at the same time. For as long as we want », Specifies Daniel Deslandes, president of the Agir pour l’education et la jeunesse (Auléj) association.

All products are free. They were purchased by the association or donated. “We invested 10,000 euros from our own pocket and we benefited from 35,000 euros as part of the participatory budget of the department of Indre-et-Loire in 2022”he recalls. Daniel Deslandes also relies on subscriptions to complete his collections and renew them. He finally launched an Ulule donation drive which will end at the end of January 2025.

A principle of trust

For members, product collection can be done every day of the week, including weekends, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. With the risk that people will never return the items? “We are aware of it. We play on trust. You have to try. What interests us is to share according to needs. Allowing people to have access for a time to toys that they cannot afford”adds this retiree who defines himself as “a realistic optimist. There are a lot of complainers, I prefer to be an active citizen. Faced with problems, we can find interesting answers collectively. We must share, recreate social bonds. »

To be able to order and collect your products but also benefit from the associated tax advantage, you will need to join, providing an email and telephone number. “If the person does not return the items, we can put them on the red list”he adds.

Daniel Deslandes transformed an old stable on the farm where he has lived for thirty years for this project. The boxes were installed a few meters from the premises. “This house has always lived with people who came to get milk or eggs when it was a farm. Recently, people have been coming to look for books too. But if this new project really develops and we need to add boxes, we will undoubtedly look for premises elsewhere. »

Information on the website of the Touraine Educational Authority: www.autourdelecole.fr. Products to be collected at 31, rue de Chérisy in Joué-lès-Tours.

(1) He is also a member of Codev and the cycling collective 37.

(2) The subscription costs 25 euros per year and benefits from a 66% tax reduction.