7,800 people registered in Calvados

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On the morning of November 19, 2024, day of the launch of the Restos du Coeur winter campaignthe warehouse of Mondevillein Calvados, is in high activity. We witness the comings and goings of carefully maneuvered electric forklifts unloading arriving vans.

60 tons of donations for three months

This involves sorting and storing the numerous pallets loaded with food. “These are the donations from the recent collection campaign, about 60 tons of foodwhich should cover needs for almost three months. There you can find rice, pasta or canned goods, some hygiene products as well, non-perishable foods, of course,” comments Philippe Marie, former departmental manager in Mondeville. “For fresh products, it is mainly the agri-food industries that supply them to us, particularly 100% for yogurts. »

7,800 people registered in the department

It is also from this vast hangar, where the pallets loaded with filled boxes are stored, that the foodstuffs leave towards the 17 fixed centers of the department open one to three times a week, three marauders (two in Caen and one in Ouistreham) and from the traveling center. The latter moves at the same time in the canton of Livarot and on Campus 1 of the University of Caenstep put in place for students since November 1st. 18,000 meals (including 950 baby meals) are distributed each week to 7,800 people registered in the department.

Retirees, students, precarious workers…

It was in 1985 that Coluche launched Restos du Cœur. That year, in France, 8.5 million meals were distributed by 5,000 volunteers. “40 years later, it’s almost 20 times more with 163 million meals distributed thanks to the 75,000 volunteers and 30,000 occasional workers,” laments Philippe Marie.

The observation is clear. In a study, the Restaurant Observatory shows that 70% of those registered today live on an income twice below the poverty lineor only €608. These are retirees, students, precarious workers, precarious unemployed people, in particular single-parent families which represent around 1/4 of the people welcomed, proportions which are found in an almost similar manner in Calvados.

This year, the Restaurants are setting up a special support system aimed at early childhood and single-parent families. Knowing that of the 7,800 people registered in Calvados, there are 537 babies.

Develop integration actions

71% of the food distributed comes from collections from supermarkets and thanks to “pick-ups” from individuals during the two annual donation campaigns, which represents 58 tonnes of food through the regional collection and 93 tonnes through the national collection.

“But beyond food aid, and perhaps the most important element, it is the development of support and integration actions in order to fight against the unbearable reproduction of poverty, because it takes on average six generations in France to escape poverty” indicates Philippe Marie, former departmental manager at the Mondeville headquarters.

To break the spiral of poverty, other actions are developed : access to social rights, justice, health, French workshop, hairdressing, aesthetics, micro-credit, access to culture and sport, digital inclusion, changing room, accommodation, support for job search employment, etc.

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