“More and more poor workers, even permanent and full-time workers”: the Rhône Food Bank notes a growing demand in villages in “white zones”

Demand is still greater while stocks have fallen. With new beneficiary profiles: poor workers, hit hard by inflation. At the entrance to supermarkets, Friday November 6 and Saturday November 7, volunteers from the Food Bank will collect food offered by consumers.

These donations will then be redistributed to partner structures such as the Red Cross, Secours populaire, the Maltese Cross among others. But in certain so-called "white" areas, where there are much fewer associations than in town, the organization plans, once a week in the villages, a direct sale from a truck converted into a grocery store. Products are sold there at 15% of their value and families can choose what they want.

“We are very well received. It’s the ray of sunshine of the day”

Between Lyon and Mâcon, the village of Beaujeu is part of a “white zone”, with precariousness which, like everywhere, has taken hold. Every Thursday morning, the traveling social grocery store - run by the Banque Alimentaire du Rhône - offers its foodstuffs at discounted prices. "Milk, fruit juice, savory cakes of course, you shouldn't forget those," describes a beneficiary. "Three, four shopping bags, you get them for ten euros. In the supermarket, you could easily get them for more than 100, yes, even 200 euros, easy. That already helps me a lot."

This mother describes her children's joy when she returns: "'Ah, mom, you were able to find bananas, clementines!' They are happy. Chocolate, candy... And then we are very well received. It’s the sunshine of the day.”

People in financial difficulty are referred here by social services for a renewable period of three months. “There are more and more families and also more and more poor workers,” says Arthur Robin, manager of this itinerant social grocery store. Even people who may be on permanent contracts and full time can find themselves in a situation of food insecurity. With the truck, the goal is to come as close as possible to people.”

A problem of price but also of fuel to travel

Pauline, who is just over 30 years old, used to go to the supermarket. It has become too expensive for many: "Yes, I come every Thursday. For the moment, I don't have a roof over my head. I have a job but I don't have a roof over my head. So I eat better here than I could afford before." Moreover, with fuel prices having exploded, going to the supermarket is even far from being obvious: "We can't go there. Already, there is a problem with means of transport, then a financial problem. There are a lot of us in this situation, I think", testifies another beneficiary.

The traveling grocery store becomes an unmissable meeting place for the approximately 150 people who are helped in this way. More than half had no help before: “Frankly, fortunately they are there,” says another woman. “It helps me a lot. And it provides human contact too and I think they are really great.” “And those who give are great too,” adds a live-in nanny, extremely grateful.