France is a wonderful country. This expression is connected first of all with francais’ mode de life and a lot of associations. One of them is Restos du coeur or its second name Restaurant of heart, cordiality. That organisation helps poor people of food and clothes’ providing. This association was created by French comic actor Michel Koluch in 1985 year. At the beginning of company’s work lower-income families were received three dishes. And even after Koluch’s death this charitable procedure continued. Every year about 400 thousand people arrived there. In 1988 year government imlemented a law of guaranteed minimal income which is paid by government for needy people’ assistance. Thanks to these efforts help was provided for 600 thousand families.
During ten years this organisation turned into all-european charitable company with defined administrative centralization, with regulations, ethics and laws. Organisation exist on charitable resources which are obtained from european fund, entrepreneurs and so on.
Order’s registration and receiving of food is very simple. Registration is held 3-4 once a year, after this every person is received blank form where fixed day and time are written. It’s necessary to come at fixed hour and wait for volunteer’s call. Once a lot of products are given: vegetables, fruits, canned food, dairy produce, chocolate, frozen food, meat, fish, bread. Even sometimes household goods are presented: shampoo, shower gel, powder. Usually everyone takes off two crowded packages. Moreover, the clothes’ department exists where you can choose something. In conclusion, volunteer gives bunch of flowers for every girl, that it makes to smile. If you have luck with volunteer it’s possible to take even two bouquets.
On going out of Restos du coeur every visitor can drink coffee/tea with croissants or buns with chocolate in café of this association. In a week this procedure is repeated. However it should be very attentive because often expiration date of these products elapse in two days. In the first place it’s concern of dairy produce.
The French attitude to this association is ambiguous. There are a lot of people who don’t want support these loafers where many foreigners are. Moreover every year tax increases and it is imposed upon working Frenchmen. Today’s clients of these free products are a lot of students and “new poor men”, which have a work, but not nearly enough means of subsistence. Unfortunately, defined quantity of lumpens are presented. In my opinion, such charity is demotivator for job search and improving of living conditions. The most interesting thing that it isn’t a single charitable organisation. There are also CAF, Emmaus, Secour Populaire and so on. But it’s another story…
Sources: Restos du coeur.org, Franceinfo.fr, Le figaro.fr, Challenges.fr, Direct matin.fr
