The French charity Restos du Cœur, founded by the late comedian Coluche in 1985, has unveiled a significant expansion of its services for vulnerable populations. This as the organisation said it had helped 128,000 children under the age of three between 2023 and 2024.
Patrice Douret, president of the organisation, revealed plans to significantly strengthen their aid for young children, single-parent families, and others struggling with poverty.
The initiative will focus not only on providing food and material resources, but also on fostering social connections and helping families integrate into society.
Douret emphasized that the charity is responding to an increasing demand, particularly from single-parent families, which now make up a quarter of the charity’s beneficiaries.
"This is a reality we can no longer accept," Douret said, calling on the French government to provide more support to organisations fighting poverty, especially in light of the ongoing economic challenges.
At the launch of the new winter campaign, Douret was joined by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who visited the charity’s temporary headquarters in Gennevilliers, north of Paris.
Barnier reassured that efforts to reduce France’s national deficit would not come at the expense of vulnerable populations.
"We must reduce the debt, but I do not want these efforts to impact the most fragile," he said, stressing that the budget for solidarity programs would not be cut.
Finances stabilised
The Restos du Cœur has long been a cornerstone of France’s social safety net, providing 35 percent of the country’s food aid.
After experiencing a severe financial crisis earlier this year, the charity has managed to stabilise its finances. The organisation reported a surplus of 22 million euros for the 2023-2024 campaign, a remarkable turnaround from the expected 35 million euro deficit.
The charity had sounded the alarm in the fall of 2023 about its precarious financial situation, struggling to meet the needs of an increasing number of people facing food insecurity.
French charity forced to cut number of beneficiaries as winter food drive begins
Rising operating costs, combined with a surge in demand, had forced Restos du Cœur to cut the income threshold for eligibility for food aid for the first time in its history. As a result, 110,000 people were turned away during the 2023-2024 campaign.
Over one million beneficiaries
Despite these challenges, the food bank was able to assist 1.3 million beneficiaries, maintaining the same number of people served as the previous year.
The charity distributed 163 million meals, just shy of the 171 million served during the 2022-2023 campaign.
"What will happen in the future as all indicators show that the situation has worsened since 2020?" Douret expressed concern, as rising poverty and inflation continue to impact vulnerable communities.
The most recent figures from France’s National Institute of Statistics (INSEE) reveal that more than nine million people in the country live below the poverty line, defined as earning less than 1,216 euros a month.
This accounts for 14.4 percent of the population.
For many, the Restos du Cœur provides not just food, but a lifeline to escape from the cycle of poverty.
(With newswires)
