While the economic crisis born in the wake of the coronavirus hits France, the Restos du Cœur are launching their 36th winter campaign.

A necessarily special campaign while, according to several associations, the Covid has pushed more than a million French people into poverty. 

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"I have never done that."

The Restos du Cœur are launching their winter campaign on Tuesday, while the economic crisis triggered in the wake of the coronavirus is hitting France hard.

According to several charities, more than a million French people have fallen into poverty.

By the end of the year, 10 million people could live below the poverty line in the country, or on less than 1,063 euros per month.

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"The poor Covid"

This 36th campaign therefore promises to be special, notably with these new profiles which must push the doors of the association founded by Coluche.

"The poor Covid", as François calls them, the head of the association's center in the 18th arrondissement of the capital.

Among them Rabat, a 67-year-old kitchen clerk, who would never have thought of finding himself one day with a shopping cart queuing up in front of "Les Restos".

But with the closure of restaurants, he went from a minimum wage to partial unemployment, and found himself with less than 1,000 euros to support his family. 

"Since the restaurant closed, it's very complicated. There are five of us at home, I'm divorced and I pay 200 euros in alimony," he explains to the microphone of Europe 1. "Before I worked at the restaurant, I ate there and sometimes I even brought back some food for the children. "

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"The first time I came I cried"

But Rabat is not the only precarious worker to find itself in the red before the end of the month.

Doumia "used to watch the Restos du Cœur on TV" [the Enfoirés concert, editor's note], but there she "is": "we come to ask for help and food packages."

A difficult situation to accept for this mother who, like her husband, is unemployed because of the coronavirus.

“The first time I came, I cried,” she says.

"Since the health crisis, I have fallen into need. My husband was a mover, we were already on the line and with the Covid it got worse. We have to live on 1,200 euros per month. Rent, electricity bills , canteen for children ... We arrive on the 15th of the month and we don't have enough to fill the fridge. "

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These workers fallen into precariousness, François, the person in charge of the center of the association of the 18th district, sees several of them per day crossing for the first time the doors of the "Restaurants".

"Every day, we are at 10-20 registrations, new profiles are arriving, affected by unemployment and the closing of businesses," he said, mentioning the latest example: a casual performer with no activity because of the health crisis. 

And François's fear is to see these new “poor Covid” pass through the doors of his center for several more months.