National Food Drive

Once a year, France has a national food drive. Volunteers hand out leaflets in all the grocery stores encouraging people to buy a little extra and give it to other volunteers at the end of the check-out line. It is a very efficient process since people can donate the food right in the grocery store

Saturday afternoon Otto and I with some other people from St. Marc's volunteered to hand out leaflets and pack food into crates. Like anywhere, some people don't want to take the leaflet, others ask what we are especially in need of (baby food, diapers, etc.). Some give generously, others not at all. One man commented that the government should be taking care of this, not volunteers. Another person who had paid for his groceries, had forgotten to buy extra for the food drive and so handed me 10 euros to buy something in the store. I bought a can of baby formula since I know that this is one thing many women ask for at the food pantry I volunteer at on Thursdays.

Last year 1,300 tonnes of food were collected in this area around Grenoble, the equivalent of 2.7 million meals!

Otto and Veronica (fellow St. Marc's member) handing out leaflets at the store entrance.