With a Christmas stocking pattern on a gold background, gingerbread houses on a red background or small fir trees and Santa Claus on a silver background, each package has been carefully packaged. A small mountain of gifts which is neither at the foot of a family tree, nor in a Christmas window, but in a very specific corner of the Leroy Merlin store on rue Rambuteau, in Paris. And on the labels, no first name but profiles: “Child of 2 years”, or even “Girl, size 36”. For what ? ” Those are solidarity Christmas boxeswe receive lots of them: every day, the space dedicated to collection fills up,” rejoices a salesman from the brand.
As Christmas approaches and many look forward to New Year’s Eve, for people in situations of isolation and great precariousness, the period can be a more difficult time. To bring them a little comfort, everyone can, if they wish, become an elf by preparing solidarity Christmas packages.
“Receive sweet and warm thoughts”
The principle is simple: inside each box, “we slip a small warm accessory, like gloves or a scarf, sweets, this can be candies or chocolates, a book, a hygiene product and a little sweet word,” summarizes the seller. This collection operation is the Factory of Solidarity who initiated it. “A system and a place set up by the City of Paris to offer local engagement solutions to Parisians all year round in the area of extreme exclusion and solidarity,” explains the director, Soraya Ouferoukh . This Christmas collection was set up during the health crisis, at the end of 2021. And since then, collection points have multiplied, so that everyone can drop off Christmas boxes near their home.”
And inside, “beyond the gift, we offer to put a little note, a drawing, and it is very appreciated by the people who receive them, underlines Soraya Ouferoukh. The beneficiaries are women and men in accommodation centers, but also families and unaccompanied minors. People who are homeless and in great precariousness who suffer a lot of loneliness. For them, receiving warm thoughts and special attention, especially at this time of year, is comforting.”
The “project really pleases the residents,” observes Sindy Thibaud, youth worker at the Center Paris Anim Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in the Forum des Halles, in the heart of the capital. We have been a collection point since last year, we relay the information to families in the neighborhood, and the initiative resonates. We also talk about it to the teenagers who attend the center, we offer them the opportunity to choose things at home – hats, gloves and books – that they no longer use and to come prepare and decorate the boxes here, at the Center.”
Solidarity action, in family and in business
But “many do it as a family, and everyone puts a lot of care into it, even in the presentation of the package,” notes Sindy Thibaud. Among these families, Julie’s has just made its first boxes. “I immediately liked the initiative: I come from a modest background and I have always been keen to spoil my children,” she confides. But if my two daughters lack nothing, it is very important to teach them that this is not the case for everyone. I asked them to choose hats, gloves and scarves that they don’t wear, and books, and they did so happily. The same for my husband and me, says the young woman. Then they made a design for all the boxes, which we decorated with ribbons and glitter. In the end, we shared a creative moment and a great life lesson as a family! “.
On a daily basis, “there are not many opportunities to carry out solidarity actions as a family, and Christmas boxes offer the opportunity to do so,” indicates Soraya Ouferoukh. It is also a way for parents to raise children’s awareness of solidarity and to sort through their belongings. Among the people who participate, “there are also schools,” she continues, “and businesses. To date, more than 120 collaborate with us, and some even make purchases to supplement their employees’ donations.”
“I put all my heart into it”
Alice made her first solidarity Christmas boxes “with great joy. It was at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when people in precarious situations were even more affected. Since then, after some turbulence in my personal life, I haven’t taken the time to do it again. But this year, the desire caught up with me. But it’s not just about doing a “good deed”: it’s also an opportunity to refocus on what’s essential and to stop navel-gazing: even if things aren’t going very well and We’re not rolling in gold, we can do good to others and find a lot of joy in it. Even though I don’t know the people who will receive them, I prepared my boxes with the same love as if I had chosen a gift for loved ones. I put all my heart into it.”
For those who would like to participate, “it’s possible until December 19 », reassures Soraya Ouferoukh. What if you don’t know what to put in there? “What is in high demand in hygiene products that we don’t necessarily think about are moisturizing products: body milk, lip sticks and hand creams,” she explains. You can also put on makeup or small perfumes, which help you feel better. As for men’s boxes, which we lack, the warm accessory can be a pair of socks, an umbrella or a sweater.
At the end of the collection, explains Soraya Ouferoukh, “all the boxes will be distributed during solidarity Christmas meals”. In 2021, 1,500 Christmas boxes were collected, then 6,000 in 2022. “We are confident of exceeding this figure this year! »