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In a context of high inflation, voluntary initiatives allow some to eat their fill. In Lille, in the North, an association collects unsold items on a city market to redistribute them to people in precarious situations. Students, retirees and working people meet there.
On the Wazemmes market, in Lille (Nord), volunteers set off, carts in hand. Nicknamed the “gleaners“, they collect their unsold items from traders, especially fruit and vegetables. They then distribute them to the most vulnerable people. “It’s important to give. In France, we waste so much that we all have to make an effort“, testifies Abdou Provencal, a greengrocer. Some traders even offer flowers.
More and more young people
At the end of the day’s collection, gleaners can open their own market, in a space that is entirely reserved for them. The stalls should be ready in minutes. The beneficiaries are numerous and their profiles are diverse, but we have observed the increasing presence of young people in recent months. “For me, it’s the anti-waste principle that motivated me, and the fact that shopping is expensive, and that I’m a student“, smiles Nell, 21. On the market, there are also retirees and working people. So many people who do not have access to food aid and who are suffering from inflation.
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