Restos du Cœur has asked the public to help them provide Christmas meals to struggling families this festive season. The charity has noted skyrocketing food poverty in recent years.
The Belgian branch of French charity Restos du Cœur is committed to tackling food poverty by distributing hot meals, food packages and school meals to people across the country.
'A festive menu for all' is an initiative that provides a three-course Christmas meal to anyone who is struggling to make ends meet over the holidays. Through individual and company donations, Restos du Cœur wants to provide at least 8,000 meals to people living in poverty this year, up from 7,163 last year.
"A 'normal' family prepares elaborate, costly meals during the festive season," communications officer Valérie Saint-Martin told The Brussels Times. "This is something that our beneficiaries would never be able to afford. The initiative aims to cheer them up and include them in a Christmas tradition from which they would otherwise be excluded."
Every €10 donation provides one starter, main course and dessert. Meals will be distributed by 21 restaurants across Belgium between 20 and 24 December so that recipients can sit down to eat on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or whenever personal tradition dictates.
Growing poverty
Poverty in Belgium has skyrocketed in recent years. The last homeless census carried out by Bruss'help estimates that over 10,000 people are now sleeping rough compared to 7,134 in 2022.
These changes have not gone unnoticed at Restos du Cœur. The amount of meals distributed has soared by 141% in four years – 1.6 million in 2023 compared to 670,000 in 2019. This year, the number of meals distributed was already 20,000 higher than the 2023 figure by 31 October.
Related News
- More than 8,000 festive meals offered to underprivileged people in Belgium
- Restos du Cœur distributes record increase in meals
- 'Tip of the iceberg': Brussels' biggest homeless count estimates over 10,000 people
However, it is not just homeless people and people living in extreme poverty who could use an extra hand. The festive initiative seeks to assist a wide range of people whose pockets are strained by Christmas demands.
"Since the energy crisis we have seen clients from new backgrounds, namely single-parent families, students, pensioners and perhaps the most worrying, people on low incomes," says Saint-Martin. "These are people who are forced to choose between either paying their bills or eating. This is something we are very concerned about."
The organisation hopes that an extra push around Christmas time is feasible given the public's desire to do good deeds around this time of year.
"The magic of end-of-year festivities resonates with our donors, and it's a spirit of solidarity that works well."
One three-course meal requires a €10 donation, which can be made via the organisation's website or via bank transfer – account name BE44 2400 3333 3345 with the description ''Menus de Fêtes".
