Major French food aid charity faces closure amid spiralling costs and demand
The Restos du cœur is a French charitable association which runs a nationwide network of tens of thousands of volunteers managing food banks and mobile street kitchens. While official figures estimate that about eight million people in France are currently unable to ensure alone their basic food requirements, the association has now announced it may have to shut down for lack of sufficient funds in face of spiralling costs. The news caused shock in France where for decades it has been regarded as a perennial lifebuoy for the destitute, and has prompted a rush of highly publicised donations by government, corporations and the wealthy. Zeina Kovacs and Manuel Magrez report on the crisis facing the association, and those who appear to be feeding off it.
TheThe major French charitable association Les Restos du cœur, upon which more than a million people across the country depend for basic supplies of food, has announced that, after almost 40 years of existence, it may soon have to close down due to a financial shortfall of tens of millions of euros, largely due to inflation.
