This is a clear sign of the growing precariousness of students. At 1 p.m. this Saturday, a very long queue has already formed around the Parc des Princes (Paris, 16th arrondissement). Several hundred students are waiting for their turn to enter the PSG “Solidarity Canteen”.
Since the Covid crisis, the capital club has organized a large distribution three to four times a year for students in financial difficulties. For this ninth edition “there is a change of scale”underlines Fabien Allègre, brand director and vice-president of the PSG for communities foundation. Usually limited to 400 students, the gauge has this time been raised to 2,500, or six times more.
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Despite the increase in the number of places, all slots “were complete in less than 24 hours”laments Julien Meinon. At the head of the Linkee association, he is responsible for the distribution of 10 kilos of fruits, vegetables and fresh products to students. “We see it every day: there are more and more students in difficulty and it is becoming urgent to find solutions to this problem”he continues.
In line, all students had to answer a “vulnerability questionnaire” where their financial situation was investigated. Among the beneficiaries of the day, there is notably Alia (21 years old), student at Paris-Nanterre University. “I quickly understood that by doing my shopping at the supermarket I would not make it through the month,” says the young woman. To eat, and avoid having to skip meals like nearly a third of students, she drastically limits her spending: “At the beginning of the month, I buy all the essentials like pasta, rice, hygiene products. And then I look for these anti-waste baskets and, once a week, I go to a food distribution. It’s my solution to continue eating fresh produce.”she explains.
Other students, on the other hand, confide that they have given up fresh produce for economic reasons. Chérazade explains in particular that he never buys fruit “because it’s too expensive”. And for vegetables, he favors canned foods, considered less expensive. “Coming here allows you to eat better and have fun,” says the BTS student in Bagneux (Hauts-de-Seine).
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