Drop in French food bank collection as rising cost of living hits donations

Volunteers for the collection campaign reported a drop in donations compared with previous years, with some shoppers struggling to afford their own weekly groceries.

“There isn't much. Donations are down,” Géliane, a volunteer at a collection point in a supermarket in the Val-de-Marne, south-east of Paris, told RFI.

She said financial difficulties were impacting customers' decisions to donate and also influencing what they donated, with some opting for cheaper products such as pasta and tinned food.

Among the donations she had received were just five bottles of the cheapest cooking oil available. Hygiene products, including nappies and sanitary towels, among the most requested items by charities, were particularly difficult to collect.

“It's worrying. The consequence for us is that we will be able to help fewer people. It's November, the holiday season is approaching, and it makes me angry,” Géliane said.

Study shows extreme poverty and homelessness on the rise in France

Some 128,000 volunteers took part in the annual collection, now in its 42nd year, at nearly 9,000 collection points across France, including supermarkets, schools, town halls and businesses.

The donations will be distributed to more than 6,000 charities supporting around 2.4 million people.

The annual campaign gathers about nine percent of their supplies. The remainder comes directly from supermarkets, food manufacturers and farmers, supported by the French state and the European Union.

Jean-Louis Duprez, president of the French Federation of Food Banks, said food banks were seeing increasing numbers of students, single-parent families, pensioners and people who had jobs, but were nevertheless struggling financially, as poverty was becoming more widespread and entrenched.

Although the number of beneficiaries has remained broadly stable over the past two years, people are visiting food aid associations more frequently, according to federation Vice President Bernard Bonnes.

This year's collection campaign, which is usually held the last weekend of November, was brought forward to avoid competition from early Christmas shopping and Black Friday sales.

(with AFP)