La Banque Alimtentaire

Along with a handful of other social and humanitarian organizations, Rotary Clubs across France recently participated in a food drive. Food collected in each town was distributed locally, through branches of a well-known French charity called Restos du Coeur ("Restaurants of the Heart"). Apparently, about 8,000 people in Tours rely on food from organizations like Restos du Coeur to meet their everyday needs.

Along with Rotary and Rotaract members from the area, I participated in the events here in Tours. The first day of the drive, I helped collect donations at a supermarket in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Tours. The majority of people who came into the store were immigrants or minorities or had handicaps. They went against every American stereotype of France, and it was very eye-opening to see such a different side of Tours. Honestly, I was surprised by how many of them made donations, and it was really wonderful to see them giving. Equally wonderful was the amount of food I saw collected on the second day, when I was helping at a supermarket in a much nicer neighborhood. I was [pleasantly] shocked by the number of people who bought more food to donate than they did for themselves.