At 10:30 am this Wednesday, the truck parks behind the town hall of Magnac-Bourg and Thierry, one of the two volunteer drivers, gets out. “I unload the coolers, because we have frozen and fresh“, he says, opening the vehicle. He comes from Glanges, eight kilometers away, where he has already served four families this morning. Here a lady has registered and is expected.
Complete and balanced meals
Anne, retired, arrives on foot. Colette, another volunteer, serves it with proteins, vegetables, dairy products and desserts… The idea is to give all the components of a balanced meal. “I’ll take pork ribs and fish“, indicates the sixty-something, who comes to meet the truck each time it passes, every fortnight.
It allows me to finish the month correctly, because my pension is not very high.
Reach out to the inhabitants
The objective of the truck, which has been crisscrossing Haute-Vienne for almost two years, is toreach out to people in need in rural areas, or who would not dare to go there.
“I don’t have a car and I can’t get around easily, so vsis much more practical“, explains Anne. Two years ago, her daughter took her regularly to a distribution center of the Restos du Cœur in the department, but she now works full time, and no longer has time to take her. .
For Thierry, who is also a beneficiary of Restos du Cœur, it’s a project that makes sense. “I have always been helped, so I feel that now it’s my turn to do it.“
I have a motto: I don’t want to leave anyone on the side of the road
– Juliette Geay
More and more requests
Since the beginning of the year, 8,800 meals were served by the itinerant truck in Haute-Vienne, against just under 6,000 over the whole of 2020. More and more families are registering, according to the volunteers. After the north and the south of the department, they plan to deploy in the west of the department, towards Saint-Mathieu.
The Restos du Cœur truck travels every other Tuesday in Val-d’Oire-et-Gartempe and the surrounding villages, and every other Wednesday in Glanges and Magnac-Bourg. It is possible to register all year round with volunteers.