The students of the INSA Toulouse engineering school have decided to organize a solidarity distribution of a thousand pancakes this Thursday, January 3 on the occasion of Candlemas.
Divided into marauding groups, around thirty volunteer students spent the night preparing the famous typical dish of this pagan festival before meeting in the morning at school to garnish everything.
One of the teams traveled between Compans-Caffarelli and Jean-Jaurès, during which they were able to bring pancakes, coffee, clothes and comfort to several homeless people.
It is a somewhat special marauding that the Toulouse students of INSA carried out on February 3.
Usually dedicated to free time, this Thursday afternoon was devoted, on the occasion of Candlemas, to the solidarity distribution of pancakes to the most disadvantaged.
After preparing the traditional dish for this pagan festival the day before and garnishing it all in the morning, around thirty young engineers in the making left school, their arms laden with a thousand pancakes, to take the road to Compans- Caffarelli, in the city center.
"It's a whole organization", explains Jean-Yves Fourniols, 50, professor and director of the INSA Toulouse foundation, which accompanies his students.
The event was organized in collaboration with the town hall, the MIN (National Interest Market) of Toulouse and the CROUS.
“Besides the solidarity aspect, we thought it was important to show that, contrary to what we sometimes hear, students don't just think about partying.
They give their time to help the forgotten in this period of great cold and it's great.
»
On the menu, pancakes with sugar and jam, but not only.
The students, who were divided into six teams, also collected coffee and 200 socks, hats and neck warmers.
Material and social comfort
Emilie Combres, 19, is the team leader. The chemistry-biology student, who later wishes to integrate social issues into her field, is a regular since she is also co-president of MASE, the marauding branch of the school's humanitarian center, which organizes them every week. “I do a marauding about every three weeks. So it's me who decides the route, ”launches the young woman before the start is launched. And this time, it will be destination Jean-Jaurès.
The small group had not walked 50 meters before a first person approached. His name is Achref. “Marauding is my life, you know! “, explains this 46-year-old man. He happily accepts pancakes, clothes and coffee offered to him by the young people. “It's the first time I've seen a blue marauder,” he says, referring to the characteristic vests of the volunteers. I've seen reds, oranges, but it's not falling from the sky these days. This Auvergnat of Moroccan origin came down to Toulouse twenty-two years ago, where he has family. “They know I'm homeless but I don't want them to see me like this. “For lack of accommodation, the man sleeps at the airport. “It's very cold right now and I don't even have a blanket. A sleeping bag is a bit like a security blanket for me, it's psychological.Delighted to have been able to bring him a little social bond, the fine team is back on the road.
Along the Garonne, she sees a huge tent. There lives Anila, 34, with her partner and her three children, aged nine, six and two. "We've already come across marauders, but often the sandwiches they give us are out of date and smell bad...", notes this mother. The family arrived from Albania in December. Recently tested positive for covid-19, she has not yet been able to access emergency housing, although priority. “I call 115 every day but they say there is no room. We came here to find a job, send the children to school and take care of the child who has kidney problems. The young mother gives one of the volunteers a towel so she can sit facing her daughters.
It's been a long time since Medina, the youngest, hadn't eaten jam, but what mainly catches her attention are the black cap and cuff. A little too big for her childish face, she likes to put them on as if it were a disguise. “You are super cute like that! says Emma Labourbe, one of the volunteers, 19, co-president of the Humanitarian Pole. The socks are one size 43-46, but you could use them as pants! A laugh escapes the little girl.
The troop finally joined Jean-Jaurès without incident, the arms still loaded with pancakes.
It is now time to pass the material on to the next team.
For Emma, the operation is a success.
“Today is cool, they had a good chat.
This is not always the case, it shows that they appreciated.
She intends to set the table again for Candlemas 2023, hoping this time that students from other schools will join them.
Toulouse
Toulouse: The anti-homeless concrete blocks in front of the premises of 115 arouse strong reactions
Toulouse
Toulouse: With his mobile plancha, he meets the homeless and offers them a meal "like at home"
homeless
Toulouse
Social
Student
Solidarity
0 comment
0 share
Share on Messenger
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Flipboard
Share on Pinterest
Share on Linkedin
Send by Mail
To safeguard
A fault ?
To print