Forty years already! For forty years that the Restos du Cœur have been helping the most deprived every year. On this occasion, an event documentary entitled 40 years of solidarity in Francewill be broadcast this Tuesday November 19 in the first part of the evening on France 2.
Created on September 26, 1985 by Coluche following a call for solidarity, the Restos du Cœur, which was initially intended to be only a temporary initiative, ultimately became over the years an essential institution for thousands of French people in a precarious situation still today. Sunday November 17, 2024, the former Europe 1 journalist, Maryse Gildas, looked back on this day which marked the birth of the association, in the show C Mediaon France 5.
The very generous donation from Michel Sardou for the Restos du Cœur
Maryse Gildas remembers in particular the cry from the heart launched by Coluche, who called for the solidarity of all French people, from the best-known artists to the anonymous. From the studios of Europe 1, the comedian spoke at the time, calling on everyone to
contribute to this noble cause that was so close to his heart: helping families in distress. This day thus marked the starting point of this solidarity chain what became of the Restos du Cœur and which still continues today.
Surrounded by many artists of the time,
Coluche had launched a call for mobilization on the airwaves: “If, sometimes, there are brands that listen to me, if there are people who are interested in sponsoring a free canteen that we could start doing in Paris and then spread it out in the big cities of France, we are ready to help a company like that, which would create a restaurant whose initial ambition would be to 2000 or 3000 meals per day for free”.
photo credit: Shutterstock The Restos du Cœur are mobilizing to help the most deprived
A call for solidarity which marks the birth of Restos du Cœur
Among the anonymous crowd, a French artist responded. It is about Michel Sardou. The widow of Philippe Gildas says that the French singer had a rather generous hand towards the association by signing a large check worth 100,000 francs at the time, or nearly 31
000 euros. She remembers: “It could have been one franc, two francs, we were in francs at the time. And the biggest check, I was next to Michel Sardou when he passed, he gave 100,000 francs.”
And obviously, thesurge of generosity of the interpreter Connemara Lakes would have given some ideas to other artists who also, hand on heart, mobilized. She remembers that donations poured in from everywhere: “Balavoine arrived, the same with big checks and then those who passed in the street, they were invited to enter the hall, everything was open”.
Les Restos du Cœur launch their 40th campaign
This is how a surge of anonymous also came to contribute to the building as Maryse Gildas relates. A burst of generosity that the former host will not soon forget: “And then those who passed in the street, they were invited to pass in the hall, everything was open. The people in the street… If you had a franctwo francs, they would pass it to you. All this made a thunder atmosphere“.
Forty years after their creation, and this, despite the difficulties encountered in recent years, particularly due to the increase in number of beneficiaries due to the inflationary crisis, the Restos du Cœur are still there. To celebrate their 40th campaign, the French favorite association focused on giving priority to children and helping single mothers. With 165 million donations collected in 2023-2024, the Restos du Cœur were able to help the most deprived by distributing
163 million meals over this same period, thanks to the commitment of 75,000 volunteers.
