While the damage from the fire which occurred on the night of November 27 to 28 is currently estimated at nearly €500,000, an online prize pool has been opened while an appeal for generosity from businesses has been launched.
On the night of November 27 to 28, 2024, a fire ravaged six refrigerated vehicles of the Banque Alimentaire du Gard in Nîmes. Since this incident, political reactions have multiplied. While the City of Beaucaire, through its mayor Nelson Chaudon, has already announced the release of a subsidy of €5,000, the RN deputy Yoann Gillet, for his part, expressed his “anger at what appears to be a criminal act.” The far-right elected official also calls “the State, via the prefect, to urgently release funds so that the food bank can quickly acquire new vehicles to continue to carry out its mission.”
A call to Gard businesses
An anger shared by the president of the Occitanie Region Carole Delga. Who gave his consent for, “once the damage and needs assessments have been carried out by insurance companies and experts, provide financial assistance to the Food Bank”reports Jalil Benabdillah. The Vice-President in charge of the Economy also calls “all of the Gard companies which are currently closing their budgets and experiencing a positive economic situation”, to make a donation in solidarity with the association. Donation which, underlines Jalil Benabdillah, can be largely tax exempt: “It's obviously not for this reason that we have to give, but it is an incentive to make an even more important gesture.”
Faced with this disaster, Françoise Laurent-Perrigot, president of the Departmental Council, for her part, expressed her “deep emotion and solidarity to its president Joseph Pronesti, his team and all the volunteers of the association”. She thus hopes “that with the support of the entire Gardoise community, the association will be able to quickly resume its essential action with the most vulnerable Gardoises and Gardoises”.
An online prize pool to help the association
“Every gesture and every donation counts”, declared Franck Proust, who went there this Friday, November 29 in the morning to speak with the volunteers and thank them for their commitment. “I will propose to the next community council an exceptional gesture to help the association”, continued the president of Nîmes Métropole. Same desire for support from Fabrice Verdier and the community of communes of Pays d'Uzès, who is currently working with the various intercommunalities of the department to release funds which could exceed €100,000.
While the damage has, for the moment, been estimated at nearly half a million euros, a pot has been launched to help the Food Bank which distributes, remember, some 13,000 meals per day in the Gard.
