Days for Good 2023

During this second edition, Days for Good brought together more than 2,000 employees in 22 countries for the benefit of 32 associations. For example, in Suresnes (Bel’s head office), 330 employees got involved with 10 associations based in the Ile-de-France region.

Discover below the associations supported by the Bel Foundation in France and abroad as part of Days for Good 2023.

AFood arc en ciel

Afood’Arc-En-Ciel is an association whose aim is to integrate people in precarious situations, particularly those living in shelters, through socio-cultural activities that promote diversity, and through food and non-food distributions.

As part of Days for Good, employees spent two days taking part in a cookery workshop with mothers from a hostel in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, followed by a manual workshop to create bibs for host families.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation, which enabled it to purchase the equipment needed for sewing workshops for mothers in shelters in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.

Did you know ?

This association has been supported by the Bel Foundation since 2022. As part of the first edition of Days for Good, Bel employees also made a commitment to the association.

Bergeries en ville

Bergeries en ville is a non-profit association set up by professionals in the children’s and cultural sectors. Convinced that people should be taught about the environment from an early age, the association has developed projects aimed at giving nature back a central place in our cities.

During the Days for Good, employees spent two days helping to build aviaries and planters for children at a school in Nanterre. Together with young people from the INJA (National Institute for Young Blind People), they took part in craft and small gardening workshops, followed by sensory workshops.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation, enabling it to finance the creation of micro-farms within the National Institutes for Young Blind and Deaf People.

Did you know ?

This association has been supported by the Bel Foundation since 2022. As part of the first edition of Days for Good, Bel employees also made a commitment to the association.

CELIJE

CELIJE (The Centre for Youth Initiatives) is an association whose aim is to welcome young people, boys and girls aged 18 to 25, from disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Suresnes and the surrounding area. The aim is to restore their confidence in themselves and in society. They come to exchange ideas, get advice or simply learn from others, practise or develop their talent(s), get involved in solidarity actions or other initiatives that they take together.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees worked with young people from the association to prepare sanitary kits and meals for refugees, as well as taking part in a sporting activity.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation, enabling it to finance the organisation of outreach work and international solidarity projects.

La Croix-Rouge française du 92

For 150 years and with more than 54,000 volunteers, la Croix-Rouge française has been working every day to fight against the most precarious situations and is involved in various fields: health, social, medico-social and training.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees took part in a food drive and sorted and inventoried Christmas gifts for children supported by the Suresnes branch of la Croix-Rouge.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation for the purchase of a refrigerated cupboard and the purchase of a refrigerated display unit for the Suresnes Local Unit’s solidarity grocery shop for all beneficiary families.

La tablée des chefs

LA TABLEE DES CHEFS – CUISINE ET PARTAGE is an association whose mission is to feed families in need and develop culinary education for young people. It engages and mobilises chefs and culinary professionals in two areas: reducing food insecurity and culinary education.

During the Days for Good event, Bel employees spent an afternoon helping to prepare a starter and a main course, which were then distributed during the evening roams, in the company of a committed chef.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation to help fund the second national Culinary Brigades final in schools.

Did you know ?

This association has been supported by the Bel Foundation since 2019. The association has received financial support from the Foundation, enabling it to offer culinary workshops in REP secondary schools in France. Over the past few years, employees in Suresnes have also been working alongside the association to cook as many portions as possible for associations in the 92 region, via culinary solidarity challenges. And more recently for the first edition of Days for Food, in 2022.

Find out about the experience of Julia Colin, Director of La Tablée des Chefs France, here.

ANDES

ANDES is one of France’s leading food aid networks: the association brings together more than 560 solidarity grocery shops, offering participative, non-stigmatising and empowering food aid, as well as social support for beneficiary customers.
ANDES’ mission is to innovate for sustainable integration around quality food for all, especially children, through its support for families.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees were able to take part in the various day-to-day activities of the grocery shop with employees on integration programmes (alternating between collection, reception, sales, stocks, shelving, preparation of food parcels, etc.). They were also given the opportunity to run a workshop to raise awareness of use-by dates and expiry dates among the grocery shop’s beneficiaries.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation for :

• the purchase of a variety of dairy products and the funding of awareness-raising campaigns on the consumption of these products for the ANDES network’s Crimée solidarity grocery shop in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
• the creation of mobile equipment for the Petite Ruche kitchen, where world cooking and anti-waste workshops are held, as well as participatory meals for the beneficiaries of the ANDES network’s solidarity grocery shop in Noisy le Sec.
• contribute to the cost of maintaining the ANDES network’s in-house collaborative platform “Le BOCAL”.

Did you know ?

In 2021, the Bel Foundation supported ANDES with the creation of 5 solidarity grocery shops and the development of educational farm visits. This support was reaffirmed in 2022 with the first Days for Good, during which employees made a commitment to ANDES.
Furthermore, ANDES is one of the associations benefiting from the rounding up of Bel group employees’ salaries.

Sport dans la ville

Sport dans la Ville is an association involved in the development of social and professional integration projects, in particular by promoting the establishment of sports centres and all kinds of sports, educational and employment programmes to help young people in difficulty.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees were able to take part in a discussion with young people about their plans for the future, their career paths and their experiences. This was followed by a game of padel !

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation, enabling it to organise other sporting activities.

Did you know ?

In 2018, the Bel Foundation already supported this association. It received a donation enabling it to set up a nutrition programme for young people in six French cities (Lyon, Grenoble Chambéry, St Etienne, Lille and Paris). The children registered on the association’s sports pitches were able to learn about healthy, balanced food.

Banque Alimentaire de la Mayenne

Banque alimentaire de la Mayenne is a local branch of the Banques Alimentaires, whose mission is to collect foodstuffs in order to combat both food waste and food insecurity.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees were able to donate food products to the charity.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation to buy foodstuffs to supplement the baskets distributed to families.

LM Petits Pas

LM Petits Pas is an association whose aim is to raise funds to finance therapies for the well-being of sick children.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees helped organise a book drive to raise funds for the children of the LM Petits pas association.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation to contribute to the cost of therapy for the association’s beneficiary children in Spain.

Grandir en société

Grandir en Société is an association whose purpose is to promote the policy of schooling and social and professional inclusion of people with mental disabilities, to provide help and advice to families affected by disability in their dealings with the competent bodies for the schooling and social and professional integration of their children, and to defend the moral, material and financial interests of people with mental disabilities.

As part of Days for Good, Bel employees shared a moment of conviviality with young people with mental and cognitive disabilities, by taking part in a karaoke. Another team of Bel employees took part in a round-table discussion and various outdoor games with another group of young people supported by the association.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation, enabling it to finance the organisation of a committed exhibition on the occasion of World Down’s Syndrome Day in 2024.

Did you know ?

This association has been supported by the Bel Foundation since 2022. As part of the first Days for Good edition, Bel employees made a commitment to the association, which also received a donation enabling it to set up workshops on nutrition and helping people to become independent.

Cambrousse atelier

Founded in 2007, Cambrousse Atelier‘s mission is to raise awareness and awaken the curiosity of everyone about the challenges facing society, with a view to proposing new ways of behaving and new perspectives on life, in harmony with and respectful of our environment.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees were able to take part in clearing land for permaculture, as well as in the construction of a large number of wooden planters (measuring, cutting, assembling, etc.).

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation to organise new zero-waste, bio-waste recycling and composting workshops for families in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.

Jura Nature Environnement

Jura Nature Environnement is an association that brings together environmental associations in the Jura. It supports local players in their efforts to promote biodiversity. It also raises public awareness of environmental conservation issues.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees were able to take part in a collection of seeds from endemic species near the Bel plant in Lons, as well as in the construction of small structures (nesting boxes, etc.) around the plant to encourage local biodiversity. Near Dôle this time, Bel employees took part with the association in the fight against an invasive species of tree: the Negundo.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation to help cover the association’s expenses, enabling it to set up initiatives to preserve and raise awareness of biodiversity and to set up agro-ecological initiatives on 2 peri-urban farms.

Wings of the ocean

Wings of the ocean is an association that works to preserve the oceans and carries out a range of actions to protect marine biodiversity and the natural ecosystem of coastal areas.

During the Days for Good, Bel employees were equipped with gloves, bags and landing nets to take part in a major clean-up project to clean up the banks of the waterways in eastern Paris. They were also made aware of the fragile biodiversity of natural aquatic areas and of pollution along waterways.

In addition, as part of this week of solidarity, the association received a donation from the Bel Foundation, to enable it to finance other marine pollution clean-up and awareness-raising initiatives aimed at different audiences in France.

Internationally

Some fifteen Bel countries volunteered to take part in Days for Good, proposing initiatives to get employees involved with local charities.

Among these associations, the Foundation has supported :

• Foodbank (Australia)
• Stations de Plein Air – Madeleine Melot (Belgium)
• ChildFund Korea (South Korea)
• Les Zinzins du bonheur (Ivory Coast)
• Samusocial International (Egypt)
• Grayson County Alliance (USA)
• The Smile of the Child (Greece)
• Second Harvest Japan ( Japan)
• SOS Villages d’enfants Lebanon (Lebanon)
• SOS Villages d’enfants Maroc (Morocco)
• Sourire d’espoir (Morocco)
• Stichting Voedselbank Utrecht (Netherlands)
• Fundacja Odzyskać Radość (Poland)
• FoodCycle (UK)
• Slovenská rada rodičovských združení ( Slovakia)