Farmers have a big heart—and they show it!

Over the course of 10 days, nearly 11 tons of wheat were collected from VIVESCIA’s member farmers. The donated wheat was then processed by the cooperative’s teams and locally transformed into Francine flour at the Reims mill by its milling company, Grands Moulins de Paris.

Today, 11,000 packages of Francine flour were donated to the Marne Food Bank to assist people in need. This is a significant gesture by the agricultural sector to address a critical need: grain products, which are essential for a healthy daily diet, account for 29% of the food distributed by food banks.

Founded in February 2021, the association “Les Agriculteurs ont du cœur!” is a group of agricultural enthusiasts who, with joy and good humor, aim to highlight the agricultural sector’s contribution to society. The association intends to build on this first major initiative in the region to create real momentum and increase donations of other agricultural products for food aid as part of the social responsibility of the entire agricultural and agri-food sector.

This initiative serves as a reminder that, due to the economic fallout from the health crisis, France’s 79 food banks saw a 12% increase in the number of recipients during the^third quarter. In light of this increase in the number of recipients, and despite a National Food Drive that collected the equivalent of 20 million meals, the food aid network is appealing for donations, which remain insufficient during this health crisis.