‘Les Restos du Coeur
riches auront de la nourriture, les pauvres de l’appétit.’
Coluche
Les Restos du Coeur is a French charitable association which provides food packages and free meals to the poor and homeless, organised and served up by more than 50,000 volunteers around France. This year, 2022, is expected to be another hard year.
For the Restos, Béatrice Pansa says “On a national level, there is increase of those in need of 20%”. Here in the P-O, the 2021-2022 campaign supported 8,065 families supported but this year an increase of around 7% and growing has already been noted, a trend that seems set to increase, in particular due to inflation and the rise in electricity costs.
Become a volunteer
Volunteers here in the PO are always needed and made welcome, particularly if you have a skill such as IT, painting, help with form filling…. that you are able to pass on. Equally needed are drivers, vehicles, storage….and of course donations of both goods and money.
Look out in October, March and coming up to Christmas in your local supermarkets for volunteers manning (and womanning) trolleys for food donations. Buy an extra pack of pasta, rice, some loo roll, a tin of tuna, some ravioli, whatever you can manage…..and pop it in the trolley on the way out.
How it started
The concept was originally launched by popular French comedian Coluche, in August 1985 on a radio programme.
It quickly became the ’in’ thing to support and was backed by television and pop stars, artists, sports personalities, media and politicians throughout France. The death in 1986 of this big hearted clown only strengthened the resolve of his many famous friends to continue to support the cause that he had created.
‘Les Enfoirés’, (a rather rude word if you look it up in the dictionary but I will loosely translate it as the ‘rascals’), some of France’s biggest stars who performed in an annual benefit concert whilst he was alive, continue today to meet up for concerts throughout France, donating proceeds to the Restos du Cœur. By doing so, they prompt the media to explain the goals of the organisation and remind people of where they can donate or volunteer.
The organisation has centres across the P-O and usually distributes more than a million meals over the winter period.
They also run ‘Les Restos bébés du cœur’ for children, and are always in need of baby products and clothing, high chairs, prams, toys…..
As well as donations of food, furniture, cutlery and crockery and of course any financial aid, Les Restos du Coeur badly need vehicles and more space for storage, so if you have a large empty building available, they would love to hear from you!
| 27 rue Monticelli 66000 PERPIGNAN Tel 04 68 85 04 53 Email :restosducoeur66@wanadoo.fr |
Released in 2015, charity fundraising release by ‘Les Enfoirés’ (see below) provoked a bit of a storm.
“Toute La Vie” , written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, set off a tense and bitter debate between the younger and the older generation.
In a ‘West Side Storyesque’ confrontation, two groups of singers, one older, one younger, face each other, point and sing words such as…..
You had everything — peace, freedom, full employment,” the younger side sings. “We have joblessness, violence and AIDS.”
“Everything we have, we had to earn it,” “It’s your turn now — but you need to get going!”
You can probably guess which group sings which!
Personally, I rather like it. Listen HERE
LYRICS
[Adolescents]
Des portes closes et des nuages sombres
C’est notre héritage, notre horizon
Le futur et le passé nous encombrent
Avez-vous compris la question?
[La Troupe]
Non!
[Adolescents]
Vous aviez tout: l’amour et la lumière
[La Troupe]
On s’est battus, on a rien volé
[Adolescents]
Nous n’avons que nos dégoûts, nos colères
[La Troupe]
Mais vous avez, mais vous avez
Oui vous avez toute la vie
C’est une chance inouïe
[Adolescents]
Toute la vie
C’est des mots, ça veut rien dire
[La Troupe]
Toute la vie
Tu sais le temps n’a pas de prix
[Adolescents]
Utopie, sans avenir
[La Troupe]
Toute la vie,
C’est à ton tour et vas-y
À ton tour et vas-y
À ton tour et vas-y
À ton tour… vas-y
[Adolescents]
Vous aviez tout: paix, liberté, plein emploi
Nous c’est chômage, violence et SIDA
[La Troupe]
Tout ce qu’on a, il a fallu le gagner
À vous de jouer, mais faudrait vous bouger
[Adolescents]
Vous avez raté, dépensé, pollué
[La Troupe]
Je rêve ou tu es en train de fumer?
[Adolescents]
Vous avez sali les idéologies
[La Troupe]
Mais vous avez, mais vous avez
Oui vous avez toute la vie
Une chance, un défi
[Adolescents]
Toute la vie
C’est bidon, ça veut rien dire
[La troupe]
Toute la vie
Tu sais le temps n’a pas de prix
[Adolescents]
Utopie, sans avenir
[La Troupe]
Aujourd’hui j’envie tellement ta jeunesse
[Adolescents]
Quel ennui, je l’échange contre ta caisse
[La Troupe]
C’est la vie,
La vie qui caresse
Et qui blesse
C’est ta vie
Vole et Vas-y
Vole et vas-y
À ton tour et vas-y
À ton tour et vas-y
À ton tour… vas-y
.
