This Tuesday, December 24, Red Cross volunteers distributed Christmas gifts to the most deprived Dijon residents. We were with them.
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“Gingerbread, hand cream, a little greeting card…” Florence unwraps her Christmas package in front of us. “I won't have any more, gifts. And all that is very useful to me.” Like her, around fifty homeless people and Dijon residents in need received a Christmas package. An operation organized for 4 years now by the Dijon Red Cross.
December 24, 2024: distribution of Christmas gifts by the Red Cross in Dijon
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© Zahra Douche / FTV
“All these gifts come from educational establishments, businesses and individuals”explains Maël Paget, Red Cross volunteer. At a time when many were popping champagne and opening oysters, the young man chose to participate in the distribution. “I prefer to give my services so that it benefits people, rather than spending Christmas with my family who I see all the time”he smiles.
December 24, 2024: distribution of Christmas gifts by the Red Cross in Dijon
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© for
“It warms our hearts, this solidarity”confides Thomas, one of the beneficiaries. “We see that there are wonderful volunteers who are there to give to us, who are a bit like our guardian angels.”
Christophe Talmet, president of the Red Cross in Côte-d'Or, is one of these guardian angels. “To be there and extend your hand to someone who is suffering, and to see their smile in return saying “thank you”, that’s… That’s what I’ve been experiencing for almost 50 years, that's why I joined the Red Cross, and I'm very proud to be there.”
Christophe Talmet, president of the Red Cross in Côte-d'Or
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© Zahra Douche / FTV
At the heart of this New Year's Eve evening, it is a moment of conviviality for the beneficiaries, while Dijon has more and more homeless people: 24 this year, or 15 more than in 2022. “The number of accommodation places is roughly adapted here in Côte-d’Or to need and demand”comments Denis Bruel, secretary general of the prefecture. “Our difficulty is to prevent the “loyalty”, so to speak, of these audiences.” The State says it is working on the reintegration of people who live on the streets.
After the distribution on December 24, the remaining gifts will be distributed during the next Red Cross maraudes. Others will be donated to students in need.
► Report: Gaël Simon and Zahra Douche
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