Restos de Coeur

Strangely enough the story below elicited several responses along the lines of "many French people cannot afford 15 euros to eat in a restaurant". That was to entirely miss the point of the story: the difference in standard of living between a rich western country and war torn Afghanistan. Of course there are poor people here but the fact that the restaurant catering to workmen and commercials is pretty well full every day suggests that plenty of French working people can afford it.
Today (Saturday) is the last day of the collection of foodstuffs for the Restos de Coeur, a benevolent organisation which hands out necessities to needy people.
We made a cash donation to the local branch via Mains Tendues 82 earlier in the year and the president explained to us what they do and who their clients are.
Around half of their clients are under 25 years of age, and 38% of them minor children from poor, mainly monoparental families. The young adults include students, unemployed or those in poorly paid part-time jobs. Elderly clients are often pensioners living alone or on small incomes. Unemployed, "sans abris", large families struggling with household rents and utilities, school costs and transport are all typical clients.
In many supermarkets today volunteers in their pink gilets will be hoping to meet their target of 8000 tons of donations, equivalent to eight million meals.
The 72000 volunteers working throughout the year have noticed an increase in the quality of goods donated, reflecting often the things people buy for their own use. As well as foodstuffs RdC ask for hygiene and grooming products which can be expensive.
But as one shopper remarked yesterday "I have what I need, so I want to share a little with those who do not".

More Christmas spirit about

Santa's helpers: photo DDM/EL

Four women from Albi were moved by the plight of poor and homeless people in their city and decided to do an Advent calendar - but in reverse. Instead of opening a window to find a gift, they made gifts to give away.
Making up boxes containing essential needs for a homeless or poor person, some for men, some for women and some for children, plus some treats where possible the four friends will be distributing their Christmas boxes in the next couple of weeks.
We have seen a similar project closer to Tagland, where the members of FIFI (friends in France international) have been repeating their idea of preparing similar boxes for distribution to a women's shelter in the Tarn. And Mains Tendues 82, the local charity based in Varen is to distribute gifts to the most elderly residents of the commune plus a donation to the village school to entertain our youngest residents. They will also be making gifts to the various refugees and their families housed locally, an idea which has been greeted with generosity by supporters.
At a time when so much is being made of the plight of ordinary people around us it is heartening that some positive action is being taken to share Christmas with those less well off.

Food appeal wins out

The annual appeal for donations for the Food Bank in Occitanie has been far more successful than organisers had feared. Worried that the gilets jaunes protestors would block access to the supermarkets last weekend seem to have been confounded as donations often far exceed the previous year. Often it seems that people used local smaller shops to source their donations and one small town of about 10000 inhabitants gave 1500 kilos of foodstuffs compared to 650 in 2017.
Perhaps the claims of the protestors that many ordinary working families are suffering hardship led to the generosity of their fellow citizens. Locally it is estimated that Tarn and Garonne has contributed 150 tonnes to the Food Bank stocks. Now it remains for the volunteers to sort and re-distribute the foods to the various charities who will pass them on to needy public.

Pieces Jaunes

In the Post Office yesterday we spotted the little "Pieces Jaunes" money boxes and wondered what the money went to. You can get envelopes to hand in your little brass coins (10c, 20c, 50c) or pop them into collecting boxes. As ever these days there is an on-line giving option.
The sums collected are used to support children and adolescents during their stays in hospital. A hospital on the outskirts of Paris has seen its children's ward transformed from "glass boxes" to comfortable rooms, with bathrooms and space for a reclining chair for parents wishing the spend the night with their children.
The cost of 410000 euros was aided by a gift of 290000 euros from the Pieces Jaunes collection, which has now been in operation for 30 years.
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Warned for feeding the poor

For over 30 years the association Secours Populaire has been providing hot meals and drinks from a van in the Place du Salin in Toulouse. Plans have been approved to redevelop the square, but no work has begun. Nevertheless the municipal police felt it necessary to warn the volunteers that what they are doing is illegal, occupying public land to hand out food and drink to the poor and homeless of the area. Following that "warning" the association was handed a proces-verbal ie a notice of contravention last Sunday.

A barrier has been erected around the projected works, but the association has a key and a tacit agreement. They have applied for permission to continue their work in the square, but await municipal consent, carrying on their distribution of food and supplying hot showers in the meantime. A meeting is to be held today with the city authorities to decide if the PV should stand.
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What's on TV this weekend

Michel Drucker and some students

When you visit the Jardins de Quercy in Cambou (between Varen and Verfeil) your entrance fee - usually 5 euros, but down to 4 euros for this patrimoine weekend - is to support a charity called "Toutes a l'ecole", which has a school for girls in Cambodia. We featured some photos of Alain Herreman and Jean Donies when they visited the school earlier in the year and this weekend Tina Kieffer and two of the pupils will be appearing on various French TV programmes. There was a glimpse of Tina on France Info TV yesterday morning and tomorrow (Sunday) they will guests of Michel Drucker on his famous red sofa from 18h (6pm) on France 2, then at 20h (8pm) on TF1 when Anne Claire Coudray, the new patron of the association, will present a report on the work of "Toutes a l'ecole".
From Cambou to Cambodia, with your help.
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Friday in Parisot

Mimade Couturier has asked you to support the association founded by her daughter, Maika, called Trois sacs autour du monde, in support of research into haemophilia and multiple sclerosis.
At the bar "La Maison" in Parisot  there will be music, information and, if you are up for it by 22h, zumba.
There will also be a presentation on CFM tomorrow (Wednesday) at about 12h30.
A chance to help a local girl in a good cause.
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These guys make a difference

Visitors to the Jardins de Quercy marvel at the magnificent transformation of the landscape at Cambou, near Verfeil. What they dont often appreciate is that the small fee they pay to enter is used to fund a school for girls in Cambodia. A charity "Schools for all" was founded to ensure that girls should receive the same educational opportunities as boys, in a country which lost most of its educated people in the Khmer Rouge purges.
On a recent visit to Cambodia Jean Donies and Alain Herreman visited the school which welcomes 100 new pupils a year and sent some pictures of the happy girls.

Alain checks over the classroom

Looking envious at the lunch bowl

 When the Jardins open again in the spring make your visit a double pleasure by helping these youngsters in far off Asia.
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Time to wash the car again

From Friday evening until Sunday morning French TV stations will hold their annual Telethon, a 30 hour transmission to raise awareness of and raise funds for research into rare medical conditions. There will be community efforts in over 100 towns and cities and Montauban is one of the flagship venues.
Last year the combined efforts raised a staggering 94 million euros and this year the number to call will be displayed on the Eiffel Tower. Many local villages will also hold fund raising events and as usual we will take our cars for their annual wash by the pompiers at Laguepie on Saturday.
To donate direct call 3637 or visit the Telethon website Give to Telethon
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Eating in Ernest

"Ernest" is a charity based in Toulouse which aims to raise funds to help those associations which distribute food and meals to the city's needy. Its main weapon is the "pourmanger" - as a "pourboire" is a tip you might leave for good service, a "pourmanger" is a tip left for buying food or providing assistance.
The system works in nearly 40 restaurants and on Monday 21st March Michelin starred chef Michel Sarran and Toulouse celebrities such as Thierry Dusautoir (captain of Stade Toulousain and recently of France rugby team) will be cooking and selling dishes in the Saint-Cyprien market place
It's a pity its so far for us, as it sounds like a great idea.
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From Lourdes with love

The Lourdes maternity hospital closed last November, but it surplus equipment, including beds and wheelchairs, is not being wasted. A local charity has arranged for everything to be packed and shipped in a container to Senegal. There the material will equip a maternity ward in a small town about 80 kilometres from Dakar. Local health authorities say the gift will transform services to around 50000 people.
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A new charity shop in Parisot soon

We are a group of people, some of us are members of Fifi, who are
setting up a Charity Shop in Parisot. In premises kindly provided by the Mairie,

Our preferred charities to represent are Medecins sans Frontieres and
Restos du Coeur. This has not been confirmed by the charities yet.

We are appealing for any clean, complete, saleable items you may have that we could sell in our shop. This excludes electrical items but includes things like books,
games, ornaments, kitchen ware, curtains, bed linen etc.

To arrange collection / hand over please email Glynis at
glynrob01@gmail.com, or Val at valhudspeth@gmail.com.

Thanks   Glynis

Glynis Robinson
Mas de Regourd
82160 Saint-Projet

5 star menu for children

Parents of children who are patients at the CHU (centre hospitalier) in Toulouse are often housed overnight in a specially built apartment block - the Ronald McDonald house. Over 1300 families are welcomed each year, amounting to over 10000 nights accommodation, Being a charitable institution funds are needed to upgrade the facility and they have hit on the idea of a charity dinner and auction, to be held on 7th December in the Mediateque in the city.
So far so normal, but the dinner proposed is to be cooked by 15 Michelin starred chefs from the region and the auction will include original works by local artists. The chefs will share the work on the menu and propose dishes of "luxury" ingredients, including foie gras, oysters, St Jacques and lamb. The auction will be presided over by Maitre Prim, commiseur-priseur (auctioneer) from a leading Toulouse auction house.
The funds raised will be split between the charity which runs the "parents' house" and a cancer care charity.
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All the animal charities are suffering, but we can help

The new laws that came in January mean that pets need to be identified, called pucing here, and vaccinated. Imagine with a refuge full of dogs and cats that all need this doing before the little mites can be advertised, what a nightmare for those responsible for getting those animals rehomed.
The laws are good and needed but complying is not going to be easy.
If you would like to make donations to animal charities to help them with much needed funds this year I have listed some below. One refuge I have started working to help rehome animals is

http://lamereauxbetes.fr      A French lady called Danielle Diczy

Many of you will remember Danielle took the two cats, brother and sister who we needed to find homes for urgently. An elderly couple needed to go back to the UK because of serious illness, they were going into rented accomodation when they got there so the cats could not go with them. I promised them we would find a home and we did with Danielle.
When we needed to find a home quickly for a donkey she was on the phone to say she would take him. In the end not needed but the offer was there.
With numerous dogs she has offered to take until a home was found and even offered to take Ruby.
So you can see why my loyalties are with this refuge. A friend Ann and I are coming up with a money making scheme for her, announced shortly. In the meantime cheques can be made to
La Mere aux Betes and sent to  Danielle Diczy, Lasplanes, 46170 Castelnau Montratier.  
Danielle is in the process of setting up a paypal account, which  I will tell you about later.

Sue Glibbery at Poorpaws is always in need of funds and Sue works very closely with Danielle. As Sue is not a registered association she asks for cheques to be made to  either Clinique Veterinaire de Prayssac or Croc Services (her feed supplier). She cannot accept cheques made out to her personally.
Sue Glibbery, 46800 St. Pantaleon is where to send them

What about my lovely St. Antonin ladies Kathy and Maeva ? They do have an association but are not able to take money at the moment.

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Yes we scan

The Toulouse Cancer Research group has come up with a novel way of raising awareness and funds. Before Saturday''s football match with Lille the scientists will unroll a huge banner with a code which when scanned with a smartphone will connect to an internet site for donations.
Another charity close to our hearts is taking to the internet in an effort to "crowd fund" their latest project. Via Sahel Enfants d'Afrique is building a school in Bamako, Mali, to educate over 600 children in co-operation with a formidable woman called Tieneke Diarra who runs the school in primitive conditions.
Follow the link to "Babeldoor.com" to donate to this project. French taxpayers will be entitled to a 60% tax credit for donations to registered charities.
 https://www.babeldoor.com/fr/ecole-a-bamako

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Mission to Mali

Our good friend Jean Marie Nosal is founder and honorary president of Via Sahel Enfants d'Afrique, a small locally based charity dedicated to helping the children of Mali. Working with his wife Winnie and a small group of volunteers in France and professional staff in Mali, Jean Marie has dedicated over 30 years to this work and we at Mas del Sol do what little we can to raise funds to support them.
Last December, against all our wishes and the advice of the French Foreign Ministry, Jean Marie made his customary two week trip to Mali. Although confined to Bamako for security reasons, he was able to meet local representatives both of the charity's projects and the Malian government, including the wife of the President.
The current projects include a hospital and laboratory, an orphanage and maternity unit, a scheme to feed street children (over 400 per day), a communal market garden run by women and a primary school. Seeing 600 children being taught in cardboard and tin buildings Jean Marie set about getting a design for a pre-fabricated school, as a blue print for a replacement school and a template for further schools in due course. For 30000 euros this school can be open by September. Jean Marie is also pressing for the 47 handicapped children presently cared for in the orphanage to be re-located to more suitable premises and has obtained official backing for this - all that is needed is the money.
Mali being an ex-French colony the legacy of bureaucracy so beloved of his native land allied to a certain African way of doing things could be an obstacle to most of us, but Jean Marie has his own way of persuading people and refusing all corruption at the same time.
Via Sahel is appealing for contributions to the school project (66% tax relief for French taxpayers) and if anyone would like details contact me for details or a pdf copy of his report on the visit
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What to do with that prize..

Some friends of ours won a very useful prize in a loto - a ham and a foie gras; just the thing for a vegetarian. Happily a swap was arranged for a meal for two in a local restaurant, won by a lady who might have trouble choosing from her large family who should accompany her. Loto prizes are welcome, but not always useful. A year or so ago we won a laptop computer; brilliant if we had not just invested in a new laptop a couple of months earlier. So we exchanged it for lots of Christmas shopping and gave the value back to the charity running the loto. Now a friend has won a TNT decoder (TNT - television numerique terrestrial - ie digital TV) and as they did not need it offered it to us in return for a donation to our charity - Via Sahel Enfants d'Afrique. Hopefully we will now be able to record those old films on France 2 late at night. Thank you, you know who.
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A generous donation

A reader has sent a generous donation of 100 euros to be sent off to Alzheimer's 82 at Montauban
Many many thanks.
With the receipt/ attestation they will receive back 66% of this contribution from the French government ( obviously you need to be a French taxpayer)
Malc keeps the stats for me on how much money we all raise each year and just before Christmas we will publish how much.
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Les Restos du coeur opens tomorrow

The 30th campaign of feeding the poor in France starts tomorrow and will help to feed more than a million people. Manuel Valls will be at one of the stations encouraging the " benevoles" and will remind us that if you are a tax payer and make a donation you will receive back 66 % of that donation.

The movement was started in by  "Coluche" in 1985, a famous comedian and the President of the association now is Olivier Berthe.      Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Cheques flying everywhere

Thanks to all who have sent cheques, today I am sending cheques adding up to 50 euros to
Alzheimer 82 and have just had a thanks for 20 euros from Cancer Support and today I nipped over to Sautou at Castanet to see Jean Marie Nosal and give him 50 euros. Not bad eh!
Up and down reports from Jean Marie, a friend had been to visit, whipped out his cheque book and wrote a staggering sum for the charity, so marvellous. On the downside Jean Marie is desperate to go to Mali but cannot go at the moment for obvious reasons. Let us hope situations improve but it is not looking likely for some time but at least the association has trustworthy workers and managers running the school and hospital. Trouble is Jean Marie is a very hands on man, which is why he has achieved so much.
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