The CMA CGM Foundation signs a partnership agreement with the French Federation of Food Banks and Les Restos du Cœur for a 2-million meals' distribution plan

Today, around 10% of the French population uses food aid. In France and its overseas departments and territories, vulnerable people are facing a daily food insecurity and struggling to live without essential goods and products.

In the face of the urgent situation and the rise of food insecurity, the CMA CGM Foundation is supporting Les Restos du Cœur and the French Federation of Food Banks with the distribution of 2 million meals.

Founded by Coluche in 1985, Les Restos du Cœur provides assistance to people in need, by particularly offering food aid with an access to free meals, helping through  social and economic integration support, as well as carrying out initiatives to combat poverty and exclusion in all forms. This partnership will ensure the distribution of one million meals in  France and more specifically in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Le Havre and Dunkerque, three historical regions for the CMA CGM Group. In addition to the meals’ distribution in favor of the most vulnerable, the CMA CGM staff members will share their expertise with the associations’ management team to be able to provide them the best tools in order to optimize their logistics chain and manage  at best their warehouses with the involvement and presence of their daily volunteers.  

The French Federation of Food Banks is founded on principles that are still governing the daily life of their 79 Food Banks and 31 branches based on: offering on complimentary basis, sharing, donating, fighting against food waste, volunteering and sponsoring. Thanks to the partnership with the CMA CGM Foundation, the French Federation of Food Banks will distribute 1 million meals mainly in Guadeloupe, Martinique and La Réunion. As part of its “Containers of Hope” program, the CMA CGM Foundation will also provide 17 refrigerated containers free of charge for the transportation of frozen products to overseas regions, and will donate five containers for the storgage of fresh goods thus increasing the Food Banks’ storage capacities. The CMA CGM Foundation is pursuing its commitment to the association,  that was initiated back in 2020 in the context of the COVID crisis with the distribution of 40,000 meals.

To further enhance this collaboration, the CMA CGM Group employees will engage alongside both charities’ volunteers and participate in major annual food collections, including sorting of products, parcels’ preparation and meals’distribution. As part of the CMA CGM skills sponsorship program, the collaborators’ involvement will give the opportunity to staff members based in France to commit five days a year on their working time to support associations

Tanya Saadé Zeenny, Chair of the CMA CGM Foundation, comments: “We have decided to support Les Restos du Cœur and the French Food Banks Federation as the Foundation of a Group like ours, which defends the values of engagement, solidarity and sharing, cannot remain indifferent to the rise in food insecurity. By mobilizing the Foundation’s resources, the Group’s logistics expertise and the engagement of our staff members, we are taking concrete action together to help the most vulnerable.” ​