“There are lunches I have to skip during the week.” Julie is only 18 years old and is already facing precariousness. The art history student in Toulouse waited for her second delivery on Wednesday Delivraide. Inside this red tote bag, pasta, rice, cakes or even dishwashing liquid and hygienic protection. “Between inflation and my falling purses, I can’t get by…” confides, moved, the young girl wrapped up in her pajamas at the start of the evening. The three delivery men of the day, Léo, Florian and Morgane, listen to him calmly and smiling. After thanking you for this completely free kit, the volunteers of the Delivraide platform launched during Covid-19 by The Solidarity Crew, continue their tour in the city center. The circuit is carefully designed to be as efficient and fast as possible. It’s Inès’ turn to be delivered. The 19-year-old student, working in BTS Negotiation and Digitalization of Customer Relations, was let go by her company last year. Despite the odd jobs, his fridge is often too empty. “Once or twice a week, I have to sacrifice meals,” she says. And she is not alone in the struggle: 2,000 students (out of the 130,000 in the city) have been registered on the platform since its launch in Toulouse in 2022. Between 600 and 800 are on the waiting list…
But that evening, only around ten students will receive something to eat and wash. A small number this Wednesday “because stocks were emptied last week and they need to be restocked,” explains Sofyane Medjahed, logistics manager. The work-study engineering student does not count his time for the association. As soon as he leaves class or work, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, he heads to the hangar where the food is stored.
70 delivery people in Toulouse and its surrounding area
At 6 p.m. sharp, he is on deck and starts making the kits. Little by little, a small army comes to help him, gets organized and chats. All are students and an after-school atmosphere reigns in the place. We catch up on news, get to know new people, joke around, all while getting down to business preparing deliveries. All this under the leadership of Rania Daki, the head of the Toulouse branch. With good humor, the future engineer refines the routes and orders.
In the Pink City, Rania has to manage around twenty student staff and nearly 70 delivery men. Everyone takes their free time out of solidarity, two evenings a week and Sunday afternoons. Louri by bike, Florian by car, and some on foot… Deliveries sometimes take three to four hours. “It’s help by students for students. They feel more comfortable sharing their distress with us, because we know how to talk to each other,” summarizes Sofyane.
An alarming study
According to a survey carried out by the‘Ifop and the food aid distribution association COP1 published on September 12, a third of them “often” or “from time to time” skip a meal due to lack of money and 45% fear falling into poverty. “We do our best with the means at hand. We receive stocks from Carrefour or other stores, or even from associations or the private sector. But we are forced to select profiles and deliveries due to lack of stock. We remain very sensitive to emergencies and the most vulnerable people… But unfortunately we cannot help everyone,” admits the logistics manager while counting the packets of pasta and rice. The best way to contribute “is to come and help,” says Rania.
While waiting for an improvement in the living conditions of students, Delivraide supports students in fourteen cities in France and has already delivered more than 50,000 kits and meal baskets since the launch of the platform in 2020.