On this fine Tuesday morning, on the banks of the Reyssouze, in front of the local branch of the French Red Cross, the “vesti-boutique” has come out of its walls for its household linen sale. Volunteers are busy around the stands, adjusting here a fold, putting back in place another piece. This activity is less known than food distribution or winter outings.
Nicole Gabrillargues, who has just completed three consecutive terms as president since 2012, is now just a “mission officer” today. She emphasizes one thing: “You will say that we are looking for volunteers to lend us a hand.”
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This bargain sale is precisely one of the events imagined to raise awareness. “We use social networks, distribute flyers in town, and put up posters in building entrances,” explains Marie-Claude Vitali, now acting as a provisional administrator. This former Parisian nurse and psychologist, who has been in Bourg-en-Bresse for two years, says, “I needed to give back to society a bit of what it gave me when I was working. The Red Cross, which is a place of welcome and listening, offered me the opportunity. One day, I offered my services, and it all started like that.”
On Thursdays, she helps unload food aid trucks, and the rest of the time, she sorts donations from individuals with Elfride and Marijo, her two key players in the “vesti-boutique.” “Of course, young people are welcome,” she says. “The problem is we can’t find any!”
Former medical delegate, Elfride Margueritte discovered the Red Cross when dropping off a bag of clothes for a friend. “I have lived in Bourg for 20 years and have always enjoyed interacting with people. At the shop, it’s different from food distribution. Access is open to everyone, and the clientele tends to be quite loyal. There are people we see almost every week, drawn by both vintage fashion and our low prices.”
Calls for help
Marijo Guillermin is the fourth of these remarkable women. Retired since 1997, she can brag about being at the origin of the boutique’s launch. “First in this same location, then in another, rue Charles-Robin, before coming back two years ago to our starting point,” she recalls. Former manager of the “Lacoste corner” at Beynette Sport, Marijo was recruited at the time “by a friend who was handling the Red Cross’s secretariat.” “Between meetings, distributing leaflets around town to promote our actions, it’s time to take a step back. Make way for the youth!”
Note: Food aid distribution to beneficiaries takes place every Tuesday from 1:30 p.m. The “vesti-boutique” is open to the public on Tuesday afternoons and all day Wednesday. Starting in April, it will also open on Friday afternoons.
