Once a month, in the Secours populaire de Pithiviers premises, a Pop'solidaire market takes place. Beneficiaries can come and buy fruits and vegetables there at very low prices.
Potatoes, celery, onions, squash, leeks, apples, pears, turnips… This Thursday, November 14 from 9 a.m., Jacqueline Da Rocha, the head of the Pithiverian branch of Secours populaire, and volunteers were on war footing to receive fruit and vegetables from the Loiret federation, based in Saran, near Orléans.
Because this Thursday afternoon, the fourth Pop'solidaire market of the year took place in their premises.
“The first took place on July 25. It is held once a month and is reserved for families who are registered with us,” explains Jacqueline Da Rocha. That’s around sixty homes.
Food aid: nearly 10,000 people are supported by Secours populaire in Loiret
The goal: to offer fresh, seasonal and local vegetables to beneficiaries. “The cucumbers, peppers, eggplants come from a producer in Sandillon; the apples and pears from Saint-Denis-en-Val. The carrots, zucchini, tomatoes are grown in Châlette-sur-Loing; the onions, the potatoes and shallots come from Crottes-en Pithiverais”, lists Jacqueline Da Rocha.
50 cents per kilo
From producer to consumer, there are only a few kilometers. And above all the prices are low! Registered families can only take a certain number of vegetables: five tomatoes, a kilo of potatoes, 500 grams of carrots per person… “They put everything in a basket, we weigh it. And it doesn't matter which vegetables or fruits , they pay 50 cents per kilo”, summarizes the boss of Secours populaire de Pithiviers. If there are any products left, they can be re-offered on the Monday following the Pop'solidaire market.
Beneficiaries pay based on weight.
For Jacqueline Da Rocha, this new system allows families to “have fresh products because otherwise we only have canned goods. And if our beneficiaries had to buy these products, it would be much more expensive for them.”
“It’s not because we are poor that we have to settle for junk food”: at the heart of the Secours Populaire market in Saran
In two hours, this Thursday afternoon, around twenty people passed through the premises. Among them Svitlana and Olena, two Ukrainians. The first arrived in France two years ago with her two children. “It’s a lot of help for us and it saves us money,” explains the mother who is currently training to become a home helper.
Sandrine, mother of three children, finds this initiative “good”:
“I prefer fresh to canned. And the prices are reasonable. If I went to a supermarket, I wouldn't buy as many.”
For Catherine, who paid 4.50 euros for 9 kg of fruit and vegetables, “this system is great. I cook so I'm going to make soups with what I bought. It's much cheaper than in the trade”.
Fewer products recovered from supermarkets
Food aid is one of the aspects of the Secours populaire de Pithiviers action. “The beneficiaries can come once a month, on Monday or Wednesday afternoon. Afterwards, if we see families in great difficulty, we tell them to come a second time,” explains Jacqueline Da Rocha.
Food products are purchased using European funds. “We also collect from large stores in the area on Mondays and Wednesdays,” says the head of the Pithiverian branch. “We always have something, but compared to a few years ago, we collect less.”
Aurélie Richard
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