Companies in Drôme Ardèche are coming to the aid of associations. The Drôme collective “Lesentreprises du cœur” founded in August 2024 has created an endowment fund to help associations which support the most deprived. The business collective has already raised 80,000 euros and will be able to support five associative projects in Drôme Ardèche.
The call for projects was launched in Alixan, at the Rovaltain business park. 150 bosses, employees and members of associations met on Wednesday December 4 to discuss.
35 companies from Drôme and Ardèche are part of the collective
At this point 80 associative projects have been identified by the Foundation. “Companies of the heart” wish to get involved for women victims of violence, for minors and students in precarious situations but also people suffering from mental illnesses.
“We created the endowment fund because it is unacceptable that close to home, more and more people are unable to find housing.“, says Evelyne Barberot, the president of Entreprises du cœur. Among the 35 companies involved in the system, the Charles and Alice company from Allex, Prodeval from Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, Les Ravioles Mère Maury from Romans-sur-Isère, but also banks and insurance companies. To join the Foundation, companies commit to making a financial donation over three years depending on their numbers.
Financial donations, furniture, accommodation, associations can be helped in several forms
“This could be patronage, donations of paid leave, volunteering“, explains Céline Magnen, Vice-President of Entreprises du cœur. Companies can also provide equipment and even premises.
The Les Foyers Matters association in Drôme and Rhône has already been supported by a similar foundation in Lyon. The Matters Homes house mainly minors from Child Welfare.
Thanks to companies in the Rhône, the structure was able to have access to accommodationexplains Marc Renard, president of Foyers Matters: “there are companies specializing in real estate which sometimes buy small villas for real estate programs. Between the time of purchase and the program, two or three years can pass. Rather than leaving them empty, they make them available to us. It's extraordinary because we immediately benefit from free accommodation because there is no rental“.
THE associative projects will be chosen during the board of directors of Businesses of the Heart. The collective will meet between February and March.
