A little air. The Restos du cœur, which provide 35% of food aid in France, have returned to green accounts, after a difficult period. The association achieved a surplus of 22 million euros for the 2023-2024 campaign, while it expected a deficit of 35 million euros.
At the start of the 2023 school year, the Restos du coeur sounded the alarm, warning of their financial fragility. They were no longer able to cope with the influx of people coming to them, in a context of rising operating costs. In addition, for the first time in their history, they had to lower the income level that entitled them to food aid, which led them to refuse 110,000 people during the 2023-2024 campaign.
“The fruit of generosity” of the French
The president of the association Patrice Douret then launched an exceptional appeal for donations: “what will happen tomorrow when all the indicators show that since 2020 the situation is getting worse? » And the French responded en masse. Thus, if the Restaurants have finally found a little financial air, it is first of all “the fruit of the generosity” of the French, who responded to the exceptional call for donations launched in September 2023, by contributing to amounting to 32 million euros, treasurer Jean-Michel Richard highlighted a month ago.
Among the French people who mobilized were many individuals whose contribution to the Restaurant budget increased by 21% over one year. The average donation amounts to 138 euros. As for the State, which already usually provides 15% of the association's budget, it added 8 million euros, and the family of Bernard Arnault, owner of the world's number one luxury brand LVMH, participated by contributing each 10 million euros.
“I don’t want this effort to affect the most vulnerable”
Les Restos du coeur are launching their 40th food distribution campaign this Tuesday, they will increase their help to single-parent families and young children. From this winter, “we are going to strongly strengthen our support for toddlers, but also for single-parent families, by providing responses as close as possible to food and material needs, but also to social ties and integration,” declared the president of Restos du coeur
On the occasion of the launch of this campaign, the president of Restos received the Prime Minister in an ephemeral marquee of the association, installed in Gennevilliers, north of Paris, as was the case 40 years earlier. Michel Barnier returned to France's delicate financial situation: “We must reduce this debt. But I don’t want this effort to affect the most vulnerable.” He also assured that he would “not allow the solidarity budget to be reduced”.
