At the end of November, one of the refrigerated trucks of the Restos du Cœur in Neufchâtel-en-Bray, in Seine-Maritime, was stolen. A prize pool has since been launched to enable the purchase of a new vehicle.
“The truck was parked in this yard, gate closed, with an anti-theft device.” Sylvette Vieuxbled still has difficulty understanding how this truck of Restaurants from the heart from Neufchâtel-en-Bray (Seine-Maritime) could have been stolen.
The refrigerated vehicle, estimated at 50,000 euros, disappeared during the night of November 19 to 20, leaving the association in shock. “We didn't think our truck would be stolen… Unfortunately, there's no pity for the people at Restos du Coeur,” notes Sylvette, head of the association in the town, speaking to BFM Normandie.
“It’s totally distressing, especially since it put the association in difficulty,” she shares.
1,000 euros per month to rent another truck
For the moment, the association must pay 1,000 euros every month to rent a refrigerated truck, in order to be able to carry out the tours and meet the needs of the beneficiaries.
“This truck is very important because it allows us to do what we call 'pick-ups', that is to say pick up products from local supermarkets and deliver the centers with fresh products and important products for the people welcomed”, explains Jean-Marie Marchand, departmental manager of Restos du Coeur de Seine-Maritime.
“We take almost six pallets of products, it’s enormous. That means we more than cover the needs of a center of 1,000 people for one day,” he continues.
A complaint was filed by the association with the Neufchâtel-en-Bray gendarmerie. The investigation is still ongoing.
A prize pool has also been put online on the Restos du coeur website. The association hopes to raise at least 25,000 euros to afford a new refrigerated truck.
Paul Sabio, Lancelot Mésonier with Alicia Foricher
