Les restos du coeur.

Today is Red Nose Day.
Last week, on March 11th, a similar big scale charity event took place on French television. 12 million people switched on their TV to watch "Les enfoirés" (which I can't translate because I'm a lady!), 41 French speaking artists, singers, actors and comedians to raise money to help the needy in an initiative called "Les restos du coeur".(The restaurants of the heart).


Coluche in his early years of
stand up comedy.

It all started in September 1985. A very popular TV figure called Coluche made a speech on the radio station Europe 1. This speech is very famous and begins with the words 'I have a little idea..'. The charity collects food, money and clothes for the needy and the homeless. Listen to the song "Les restos du coeur". It starts : "Aujourd'hui on n'a plus le droit d'avoir faim ni d'avoir froid..." ("Nobody should be hungry or cold today..."). Since, each year, a fund-raising concert series takes place, sadly without Coluche who tragically died in June 1986.

The Restaurants of the heart started off in Paris but have gradually spread all over France and are now also offering other ways to fight poverty directly and indirectly with shelters, workshops, help to newborn babies and children, summer camps, etc...58000 people are now volunteering and 103 million meals were handed out in 2009/2010 in over 2000 restaurants. Coluche's little idea became one of the largest and most popular charity initiative in France.





"I am not a new rich,
I am an old poor person..."

Les Enfoirés 2011
Les Restos du Coeur on the news.