This weekend saw the annual collection of food for the Banque Alimentaire (food bank). All our local supermarkets had volunteers in the foyer handing out carrier bags with the above logo on in the hope that shoppers would add one or two items to their trolley which they handed back on their way out. The food is stored to be distributed throughout the year to those in need, by various charities like Croix Rrouge, Restos du Coeur and Epicerie Sociale. A simple yet effective idea, however, for the first two, maybe even three years we were here we had a bit of a misunderstanding that somewhat haunts me every time I see their collecting trolleys in the foyer.
We had been here less than six months when we first encountered the nice smiley lady handing out bags, and our French wasn’t great. We got the gist of the conversation that they were collecting donations, but, based on the picture on the bag (see above photo) we thought they were an animal charity collecting animal food! I’m cringing as I write this, for as animal lovers we duly filled our carrier bag with tins of cat and dog food and handed them back at the end of our shop. Thankfully a chance conversation with a French friend put us right, and we now fill the bag with staples like pasta and rice. I only hope the pets of those in need benefited from our little misunderstanding.