Overview
- Les Restos du Cœur began their 41st national food-aid campaign on November 18, citing persistent pressure on operations and finances.
- Leaders expect demand at least on par with last year after serving 1.3 million people and distributing 161 million meals in 2024–2025 with roughly 108,000 volunteers.
- The association reports extreme precarity among those helped, with 77% living on less than half the poverty threshold, over half under 25, and 40% minors, alongside high levels of reported depression.
- Insee data show a 2023 poverty rate of 15.4% in France, nearing 10 million people, which the group says is driving sustained need and forcing refusals, including about 60,000 people last winter.
- Local strains are mounting, with Vaucluse reporting nearly a 12% rise in registrations to 13,000 people and 857,000 meals per week, a major Avignon site closing, and plans for a mobile distribution truck starting January 2026.