Food banks collect food for distribution to the poor through charities like Emmaus or the Salvation Army. They function through solidarity and depend on donations. Beneficiaries and volunteers are monitored in several distribution centers in France.
Food banks organized two national food drive days. The one in Haute-Garonne distributes several thousand meals a day. In a shopping centre in Toulouse, volunteers and donors give their views on these collections. In the premises of the food bank of Haute-Garonne, Bertrand de GAULEJAC, president of the food bank, speaks about the solidarity of the population.
In Paris, in August, when Paris emptied itself of its inhabitants, certain places, dedicated to the most disadvantaged, such as the night asylums, were closed, leaving many homeless to the streets. To make up for this lack, Emmaus’s companions established a camp under the Sully Bridge, Henri IV Pier. Dormitories were installed and meals distributed. Images of streets of Paris, almost empty, of tents of Emmaus, of Abbé Pierre, of a distribution of food and of homeless eating and sleeping.
In two districts of Marseille, the operation "The relay of the heart" begins, an insertion food aid. Baskets are not free but only cost a symbolic franc per meal. Example in this town hall where a room has been transformed into a food bank.
The Northern Food Bank distributes several tonnes of food every day. These products are intended for charitable organizations in the region. However, she struggles to find certain foods. Visit of the premises and interviews with Michel Richard, head of the food bank and Monique Hala of an association of unemployed people.