Priority to babies and single-parent families: Restos du cœur launch their 40th food distribution campaign on Tuesday, November 19, after returning to better financial health thanks to the generosity of the French. For this new campaign, the association founded by Coluche in 1985 plans to “prioritize the most vulnerable publics, in particular single-parent families and children under three”In October, the association’s president, Patrice Douret, told AFP. Over time, the association’s clientele has diversified, and the number of families in particular has risen. A quarter of the beneficiaries are single-parent families.

To mark the launch, Patrice Douret will welcome French Prime Minister Michel Barnier and Solidarity Minister Paul Christophe to the association’s temporary marquee in Gennevilliers, north of Paris, just like the one that hosted the very first campaign. For the next one, “we’ll be able to reopen a number of our social action taps”.without, however, “return to a level of activity”. comparable to that of 2022, warned Patrice Douret recently. “We’re remaining extremely reasonable and also cautious about what we commit to, because we’re not immune to another crisis.”

Les Restos du cœur, which provides 35% of food aid in France, has recovered a little. Their accounts are finally in the green: they have generated a surplus of 22 million euros for the 2023-2024 campaign, whereas they were initially expecting a deficit of 35 million euros. In September 2023, the association had sounded the alarm, warning of its financial fragility. Its president launched an exceptional appeal for donations. The French responded, contributing a total of 32 million euros. The family of Bernard Arnault, owner of the world’s leading luxury goods company LVMH, contributed 10 million euros and the French government, which usually provides 15% of the association’s budget, 8 million euros.

110,000 people turned away in 2023-2024

The Restos were no longer able to cope with the influx of people coming to them, against a backdrop of rising operating costs. due to inflation. In detail, the association is faced with rising energy prices, which increase its logistical costs, and rising food prices, which have forced it to double its food purchasing budget, expected to remain at the same level next year (over 110,000 euros). What’s more, for the first time in its history, Restos du cœur has had to lower the income threshold that qualifies it for food aid, which led them to turn away 110,000 people during the 2023-2024 campaign.

However, they welcomed 1.3 million beneficiaries, as many as in the previous campaign. The association distributed 163 million meals, the second-highest figure after the 171 million of the previous campaign. The association is concerned about the extent of precariousness in France. More than nine million people live below the poverty line, on less than €1,216 a month, according to the latest Insee figures for 2022. This represents 14.4% of the population.