Fifteen million additional euros. This is the sum that the French government will mobilize to help the Restos du Coeur. The charity association alerted this Sunday, September 3 to its financial difficulties.
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The accounts are in the red. Also, the Restos du Coeur announced that they would be forced to reduce the number of beneficiaries of their food distributions this winter. The president of the association, Patrice Douret, estimated the number of people affected at 150,000.
It should be noted immediately that since the beginning of 2023, the association has already welcomed 1.3 million people. That is 200,000 more than for the whole of 2022. It can no longer meet the scale of the needs. The Restos du Coeur say they need 35 million euros to end their financial year in balance.
To sum up, the association’s budget for food purchases has doubled in recent months. At the same time, the demand for food aid is rising sharply. Several associations are issuing the alert. Like Henriette Steinberg, secretary general of Secours populaire.
“ There is a rise in load, she says. And this increase in load does not reduce. And it now concerns working people. Including working couples. And who have very small salaries. »
According to INSEE, food prices jumped by more than 11% between August 2022 and August 2023. Inflation meanwhile increased by 4.8% over one year. In such a context, the decision of Restos du Coeur is therefore a worrying signal, believes Benjamin Seze, journalist specializing in social issues.
15 million additional, announces the government
” Often, when the budget becomes very constrained in households, food is one of the main, even the main adjustment variable, and therefore it is on this that households will save money. “, explains the latter, author of the book When eating well becomes a luxurypublished by L’Atelier.
The Restos du Coeur currently provide 35% of food aid in France. They are funded by individual donors, companies, public state aid and the European Union. They have an operating budget of around 200 million euros per year.
In response to the difficulties of Restos du Coeur, several French distributors have also announced that they are taking action. The Les Mousquetaires group, which brings together Intermarché and Netto, will set up collection operations by the end of the year. It also announces food and non-food donations.
As for the Carrefour group, a partner of Restos du Coeur for sixteen years, it says it is considering financial assistance as well as donations and collections. But by then, the French Minister of Solidarity, Aurore Bergé, therefore promises additional aid of 15 million euros.
In addition, an envelope of 6 million euros will be distributed to associations helping very young children (via the distribution of diapers, infant milk, small pots, etc.), announced on TF1 the minister, who is launching also a “ solemn appeal to big business “so that they mobilize” to help the most vulnerable “.
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