Some 3,000 food parcels were distributed last Saturday as part of the latest food distribution operation organised in les Vernets. State Councillor, Thierry Apothéloz, and Christina Kitsos, Administrative Councillor, were on site along with the associations, which were extensively mobilised as part of this action. The former was on hand to explain the decentralised organisation which will call on the municipalities to work alongside the City of Geneva. The latter attended the event to present an evaluation of this initial phase coordinated by the City of Geneva since 2 May.
The two magistrates commended the essential contribution of the volunteers, the commitment of the City of Geneva’s services, the effective collaboration with the associative partners and the generosity of the private and public donors, all of which have enabled Geneva to cope with the consequences of the health crisis.
The food distribution operations organised in les Vernets have taken over from the movement launched by the Caravane de Solidarité group. They have enabled thousands of people, including numerous families with very young children, to receive emergency food aid. The operations were made possible through collaboration with the Colis du Cœur and the Partage foundation – the Geneva-based food bank. Over a period of five weeks, the number of parcels distributed in les Vernets has increased from 1,500 to more than 3,000 per week, while the number of people registered with the Colis du Cœur has grown threefold to reach a total of 14,030 today.
The health crisis has pushed several thousand people living in Geneva into a precarious situation of food insecurity due to a sudden loss of or fall in their income. The accumulation of arrears with regard to the payment of rent or bills, in particular those relating to health insurance, is now the main cause of concern among the beneficiaries of this emergency operation.
It should be noted that in addition to access to basic food and hygiene products, the operation coordinated by the City of Geneva has provided these people with access to basic social and health information.
Towards a second, decentralised phase
With the support of the partner associations and the City of Geneva, the Canton has spent three works working with several municipalities with a view to implementing a transition towards a distribution of basic necessities spread across several sites from 15 June. At present, the towns of Meyrin, Vernier, Versoix and le Grand-Saconnex have already announced their intention to organise these distribution operations within their territory. These sites will thus complement the current mechanism. In the City of Geneva, the schools of Trembley and Hugo-de-Senger have been identified to host the future decentralised distribution operations. A sixth site will be located in the Colis du Cœur premises in the municipality of Carouge. The decentralised distribution operations in the municipalities will make it possible to gradually reduce the mailing of food vouchers.
Furthermore, other municipalities envisage extending the activities of their “épiceries solidaires” to enable the beneficiaries of the Colis du Cœur living within their territory to receive food aid.
This temporary multi-site solution is scheduled to run until 15 September 2020 and has the advantage of providing food aid close to the beneficiaries’ homes. It is part of a local approach introduced in light of the social consequences of the crisis linked to the coronavirus. Following the latest distribution at les Vernets ice rink, beneficiaries will gradually be oriented towards new distribution points which will support the operation according to the resources available to the municipalities. One of the objectives of this decentralisation process is also to reduce waiting times for food aid beneficiaries.
In addition to coordinating the food aid operations under the aegis of the Department of Social Cohesion, the Canton will also provide the Partage Foundation with financial support to the tune of 5 million francs with a view to completing this transition phase and complementing the food parcels following the broad vote of the Grand Council on Thursday 4 June 2020.
On behalf of the City of Geneva, Christina Kitsos applauds the fact that the food emergency issue which the city addressed alone during the health crisis has been backed by numerous partners under the auspices of the State.
On behalf of the Canton, Thierry Apothéloz would like to thank the volunteers and reiterates his gratitude to the municipalities involved at this stage, whose magistrates were also present at the distribution. The latter quickly demonstrated their desire to cooperate, aware that the task at hand involves managing an unprecedented crisis.
For further information
Mr Thierry Apothéloz, State Councillor, through Mr Henri Della Casa, DCS Tel. 078 674 69 95
Ms Christina Kitsos, Administrative Councillor, through Ms Manuelle Pasquali de Weck, DCSS Tel. 079 446 40 13
Article modifié le 21.02.2024 à 17:08