Restos du Coeur collection: faced with inflation, should we fear a drop in donations?

Romain Rouillard 6:00 p.m., March 01, 2023

For the Restos du Coeur, the time for the 2023 national collection is fast approaching.

But this year, the event, which will take place on March 3, 4 and 5 in more than 7,000 stores in France, is accompanied by its share of uncertainties, even concerns.

Due to inflation, which stands at more than 13% for food products, the association openly fears a drop in donations. 

And this while the Restos du Coeur are recording more beneficiaries than before.

In a press release, its president Patrice Douret estimates the increase in the number of people welcomed in the first three months of the 2022/2023 winter campaign at 22% compared to the previous year. 

"A packet of pasta today is not a packet of pasta four years ago"

“We are facing a scissor effect. We have more and more people welcomed and the household budget is burdened by inflation. We know that, potentially, people will give less. since last May. So inevitably, we wonder what it will give this weekend", recognizes with Europe 1 the association, well aware of the contraction of the budget allocated to solidarity.

"A donation today is no longer anecdotal. A packet of pasta today is not a packet of pasta four years ago".

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Certain increases particularly crystallize the concerns, in particular that of the price of diapers.

In an interview with Le

on Tuesday, the CEO of Système U, France's fourth largest distributor, said "anticipate a 25% surge in the price of diapers".

A data to be compared with the observation made by Patrice Douret, still in the same press release.

"We are particularly concerned about the 16% increase in the number of babies under three coming to us."

“We will always make sure to help everyone”

Especially since, faced with this situation, the Restos du Coeur do not have a real plan B. “We are already a partner of Carrefour and Lidl, which help us a lot. But we don’t have so much more than that in reality. If we buy more food, we will face the same difficulties as everyone else," says the same source. 

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Nevertheless, the association refuses to panic and wishes to reassure on its ability to accomplish its mission.

"We will always make sure to help everyone. Yes, we have concerns but we will respond. We will make sure that everyone can have what we can vouch for".