That morning, rue Dabray, the reception hall is full in this center of the Restos du Coeur de Nice. It is the largest in the capital of the Côte d’Azur with more than 650 people welcomed. “It gets complicated, loose Gérard, landlord. We wish we could receive everyone, even with a little coffee to keep them waiting, but it’s impossible. Some days there are even queues out the door. »
The association launched its 38th national campaign on Tuesday against a “background of aggravated precariousness” with a 12% increase in the number of people compared to last April. And in the Maritime Alps “it’s getting worse and worse”, notes the manager who notes a 25% increase in the department. “What worries me is that today’s children will be tomorrow’s beneficiaries,” he whispers.
Choose between eating or reheating
The reasons for these “alarming” data and this “unprecedented” situation, in the words of the communications officer of Restos du cœur des Alpes-Maritimes, are manifold. “First of all, the department is one of those who have welcomed the most Ukrainian refugees, all registered to receive food aid,” continues François Chantrait. But there is also inflation which first hits basic products which are the main races of the most fragile. Which makes the situation even worse. And with energy prices rising in January, we’ll have even more people. Some families will have to choose between eating or warming up. »
This is already the case for Marie, 35, who comes from Paris. “I recently arrived in Nice”, she explains. Rents are cheaper but there’s also better weather, which means you wear less clothes and therefore do less laundry. “She Dressed in a down jacket and shorts, she never imagined one day walking through restaurant doors. “I lost my job, I only have RSA”, launches this former employee in the medical field. For a long time I lived on odd jobs, but you’re never safe from the misery that happens overnight. Luckily there are facilities like this. »
Since October she has been coming to this center once a week for “food aid” but also “clothes” and “books”. Near her that day, another beneficiary is served by a volunteer. “On the surface, it doesn’t look like she’s coming to Restos du Coeur,” comments Gérard. We have a lot of people like that, whose problems we can’t imagine. There are many people you meet who shouldn’t even be precarious, who sleep in the car while they work, who sell everything to eat. »
Precariousness has exploded in the valleys
In addition to the 19 centers of the Maritime Alps, the association organizes “tours” in the valleys to bring food on site. François Chantrait then explains: “We have a significant indicator of the situation we are experiencing. In these isolated areas, where it is even colder, precariousness has completely exploded. We’ve never seen that. »
Gérard points out that he has already been asked to open the Dabray center on Saturdays. “We wonder how we’re going to do it, but we believe in generosity,” he agreed.
Volunteers fear that “those who donate can no longer do it because they also need it”. This also applies to volunteers, between 650 and 700 in the department, who are sometimes even more affected than those they help. “That is why our appeal is also addressed to these citizens, without them we could not do all this,” says Gérard.
In the Alpes-Maritimes, more than 30,000 people are welcomed by the Restos du Coeur, including 800 children, and more than 2.3 million meals were served this year.
