After Bouches-du-Rhône, Dimitri Payet is the new godfather of the Banque Alimentaire des Mascareignes. He hopes to use his popularity to collect as many donations as possible for the association fully mobilized for Mayotte by sending foodstuffs to the archipelago devastated by the passage of Cyclone Chido.
Published on December 22, 2024 at 7:50 p.m.,
updated December 22, 2024 at 8:23 p.m.
The chain of solidarity continues to help the Mahorese victims following the passage of Cyclone Chido. Reunion footballer Dimitri Payet also provides his support. He is committed to the Food Bank by becoming its new sponsor.
Watch the report from Réunion La 1ère:
Cyclone Chido: footballer Dimitri Payet supports Mayotte with the food bank
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©Reunion the 1st
The former Olympique de Marseille player is also affected by the extent of the damage experienced by Mayotte. Dimitri Payet has just made a financial donation to the Banque Alimentaire des Mascareignes.
He intends to support the association over the long term. In the long term, the objective is to send two containers per month, or 50 pallets only by boat.
They are our neighbors. I think we all have a Mahorais in our entourage that we know, with whom we grew up. We, Reunion Islanders, are also well placed to know that disasters like the cyclone can happen to us too. Mayotte must be raised. I wanted to go to Mayotte, but for health reasons, it was not possible.
Dimitri Payet, Reunion international footballer – Vasco da Gama, Brazil
So, how is this solidarity organized from Reunion Island? In the 600 square meter Food Bank warehouse located in Saline-les-Hauts, 50 tonnes of dry food freight will leave by boat tomorrow for Mayotte. That is, the equivalent of 69 pallets, collected thanks to donations from the food industry and mass distribution.
“We work in partnership with the 24 CCAS of Reunion Island. We will centralize donations”explainBruno Prochasson, president of the Banque Alimentaire des Mascareignes.
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©Nina Santi
But logistical problems arise. The Food Bank does not yet have a headquarters on Perfume Island.
The difficulty in Mayotte is indeed how to organize distribution and above all, how to direct products to the people who need them the most. For that, you have to know the territory well. We must have volunteers on site who are in permanent contact with the population. But for the moment, this is not the case for the Food Bank.
Bruno Prochasson, president of the Mascarene Food Bank
To sustain the shipment of these foodstuffs to Mayotte, the Food Bank is launching an appeal for financial donations to all individuals via its website. Faced with the outpouring of solidarity, the authorities are also organizing the collection of donations in Reunion.
“We have needs, since, in fact, we are going to send nearly 70 pallets of foodstuffs to Mayotte. This stock will have to be replenished quickly”says Laurie-Anne Espérance, director of the Banque Alimentaire des Mascareignes.
Due to lack of space and faced with the increase in beneficiaries, almost 10% more each year, the Banque Alimentaire de La Réunion asked the Saint-Paul town hall for a 4th warehouse of at least 1,000 square meters of storage.
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©Nina Santi
