- In Marseille, former employees and association members requisitioned McDonald's in Saint-Barthélémy, in the northern districts of Marseille, to organize the distribution of food parcels.
- Almost 44,000 people were able to be fed thanks to the mobilization of these small associations.
- Despite the beginning of deconfinement, people in great precarious situations continue to seek the help of associations to survive.
A haven of solidarity in the midst of a storm of misery. After being the epicenter of a social struggle against the American giant McDonald's, the fast-food restaurant in Saint-Barthélemy, in the northern districts of Marseille, has become the headquarters of solidarity for the poorest people during this pandemic from Covid-19.
It is 2:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Wada and Fatiha show up on the driveway with a van loaned by RTM, the Marseille public transport network. They do not come to get a Big Mac, but to collect a hundred food parcels in this “solidarity Uber”, which they will hasten to distribute in the city of La Paternelle, not far from there. "No sooner do we arrive, people hurry to pick up their package or they have nothing. We call them and they come down to get him. With each distribution, people are added to the list, ”explains Wada. This Wednesday morning alone, 100 people came to register directly at McDonald's to benefit from these food parcels.
"We were warned that people would starve to death"
Behind the window of the drive, Salim Grasbi, of the union of the popular districts of Marseilles, activates with other volunteers to pass the parcels, and especially to ensure that nothing is missing. Rice, flour, preserves, milk, cheese, oil, the packages are made to provide for the needs of a family of four for about three days.
The parcels barely entrusted to neighborhood associations, it is already necessary to activate to receive other goods. Associations registered with the Food Bank come to deposit their surplus, like this ton and a half of apples just delivered. "That's good, we lacked fruit and vegetables," says Salim.
The apples are directly unloaded in the cold room of the old fast-food, an essential tool to distribute the 550 daily parcels. Without counting the parcels provided for the daily raids for the homeless, in particular. “After two, three weeks of confinement, we started to receive phone calls to warn us that people were starving. At first I did not believe it, we went for a walk with Kamel and there we realized the plight in which many families found themselves, ”says Salim.
Nearly 44,000 people fed by associations
With Kamel Guemari, the former deputy director of the restaurant closed last December after a fierce legal battle between the employees and the former franchisee, they decided to contact McDonald's to ask them to make the restaurant available, thinking they would give them a nice publicity . “We did things right, but their lawyers replied that they did not want to be involved, either directly or indirectly, in this united approach. As Kamel still has the keys, we decided to requisition him on April 6. All their tools remain in place, and the restaurant will be completely cleaned so that they can recover their belongings, ”warns Salim.
Since then, the restaurant has taken on the appearance of a crisis management center. To return, you must first disinfect the shoes, then the hands. Directly at the entrance, a sign indicates the people scheduled for the various four-hour shifts, "the life of the mask". In a small room on the right, other paintings are displayed on the wall. “This is the 45 districts of Marseille. For each district, there are the number of packages to prepare, and the referent of the local association in charge of distribution. And on that one, we have scheduled deliveries every day. For example [this Wednesday], we deliver eight wards. At the beginning, we needed 10 days to deliver the 45 districts, but now we have gained efficiency, we can do it in eight days, ”explains Salim. Since April 6, McDonald's volunteers in Saint-Barthélemy have fed 44,000 people.
Other parts are used to keep the products dry, to repackage the 5 kg bags of flour in 1 kg portions. And the damaged fruit is even transformed into smoothies to be distributed during the marauders. The associations obtain their supplies thanks to donations from individuals or other associations, "in particular Emmaüs de la Pointe Rouge with Fati Bouaoura who has been struggling from the start", or by buying food through the kitty online.
Small associations at the front
The end of confinement, and the beginning of deconfinement, did not slow down the misery in which certain families live, on the contrary. Since May 11, a hundred new families have joined daily. “People are angry and afraid, they are afraid of being abandoned and being left with nothing. The little money they recover is used to pay the credits they had to take out so as not to starve during confinement. It's getting worse and worse, ”says Karima of the Rebondir 13 association, on deck with many other small associations since mid-March.
Here, everyone shares the same observation. “Many small associations have stopped since the beginning of deconfinement in a sign of fed up with the absence of public authorities. Like Massilia Couches System, which supplied baby products. He demands that the department finally fulfill its duty with deconfinement, ”says Salim.
“What strikes us is the desertion of the large subsidized structures that had completely closed. We see them come back. At the beginning, the metropolis approached us to organize the distribution and to avoid duplication. In the end they recovered our files, but they appeal to social centers on the pretext that they do not trust us. At the end, they are the ones who will submit the subsidy files and we are struggling to have nothing but a local ”, explain Sarah, from the Dihya association and Nabila, from the association of the SNCF city.
"A last bulwark"
Everyone regrets a cruel lack of recognition after all the work accomplished. They will launch "the call of the forgotten", to be heard in the face of the return of these large structures when they were alone at the front voluntarily during the entire crisis. "We did what we could and we continue. We have no choice, we are the last ramparts before it gives way, ”says Salim.
Alone since the beginning of this health crisis in the face of rampant misery and the absence of public authorities, volunteers prefer to keep smiling and seeing the positive. "A great team, a great dynamic, a magnificent team" echoes all over the fast-food restaurant as mutual encouragement. But Salim does not forget: "The elders of the pride march tell me" we at the time we were fighting to have more, you fight to avoid having less ". "
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- Northern neighborhoods
- Hunger
- Society
- Solidarity
- Marseille
- Association
- Mcdonald's