Banque alimentaire and charity at Christmas time.

This weekend was the annual national collection for the "banque alimentaire".  The food bank collects food and toiletries which are then distributed to people in financial difficulty.  In my village the local councillors and CCAS (Centre communal d'action sociale) volunteers collect donations.  The collection takes place at the end of November in local supermarkets.
It was my first time, and I was interested to see how people reacted to be asked for charity in a time of crisis.  So I donned my orange vest and took my place at the entrance handing out leaflets with a smile and a "Bonjour".  As the collection is an annual event and well publicised people weren't surprised to see us and almost everybody donated something.  Nobody challenged our right to be there and solidarity still seems to exist, at least in my corner of the world.  However a number of people asked where the food was distributed, and were satisfied when informed that it was given to people in the immediate locality.  Suggesting charity still begins at home.
We filled supermarket trollies with the cans of food, pasta, rice, biscuits, etc. that people donated.  Once these were filled they were ferried to a garage that is used as a food store.   By the end of the weekend we had filled a garage lined with shelves, and my colleagues told me that we had collected more than the previous year.  This food is then distributed to people who request help over the following year.
This generosity is all the more impressive when you know that the annual "Restos du coeur" winter campaign has started.  The "Restos du coeur" was created by the legendary French comedian "Coluche".  It aims to provide assistance to homeless and poor people during the hard winter months. So we are asked to donate to them.  Then this weekend is the annual "Téléthon" event which raises money to fund research into, and treatment for Neuromuscular diseases.  So we will be expected to donate to them as well.  At the same time my two kids are selling their school and sports club calendars.  Any day now the "Pompiers" will ring my door bell to sell their calendar.  All these demands at Christmas time, it is a wonder there is any money left over for presents.
Mind you I would rather donate money than fight over discounted Televisions on Black Friday, something which has happily not yet arrived in France where solidarity is more important than consumption.