The (SPF), or French Popular Relief, is a French

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

founded in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1945 dedicated to fighting

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

and

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

in public life.

Objectives

Secours Populaire Français is a non-profit organization operating on donations and legacy funds, and is dedicated to fighting poverty and discrimination in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the world. It aims to bring together people of all opinions, origins, and walks of life who wish to live in

solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

. In France, SPF is particularly focused on providing victims of discrimination with emergency shelter, food, clothing, and referrals to health care facilities. The organization also supports equal access to housing, health, vacations, cultural, sports and leisure activities, and job placement — stressing that even in non-emergencies, equal access to services is a matter of personal dignity. Secours Populaire Français also works globally, providing both emergency aid and ongoing development projects, working closely with expert associations capable of identifying local needs. These local partners provide long-term monitoring of program impact on local cultures. SPF is partnered with numerous private and government associations in the French, European, and global spheres.

History and Operations

French Secours Populaire grew out of an earlier organization, the Secours Rouge International, founded in 1926 with the aim of providing a relief effort similar to the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

, with an emphasis on

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and

antifascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

ideals. Communist intellectuals such as

Henri Barbusse Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist, short story writer, journalist, poet and political activist. He began his literary career in the 1890s as a Symbolist poet and continued as a neo-Naturalist novelist; i ...

and

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

were associated with the organization. The SRI provided outreach to prisoners and deported persons. In 1936, the organization changed its name to Secours Populaire de France et des Colonies. The organization was dissolved in 1939 for the duration of the War in Europe, with half of the organization's officers either shot or dead from the pressures of forced deportation. The effort resumed in 1944 with the

liberation of France The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany in ...

, with relief operations primarily aimed at children and prisoners of war. The organization adopted its current name in 1945 and its remaining members had direct personal experience with the deportation camps, prisons, and vagaries of clandestine life in

occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

. Over the years Secours Populaire Français has become pre-eminent among French organizations aligned against poverty and discrimination. Its work with children has led to its recognition by French national educational organizations. It continues to engage in charitable projects with strategic partners working to fight discrimination,

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

, and anti-social behavior. The organization maintains a publication called ''Convergence'' for its charitable donors and fundraising partners. The organization has campaigned in France for laws requiring supermarkets to preserve their unsold food if it is deemed to be unsaleable before its expiration date — for distribution to the poor and homeless — and prohibiting stores from contaminating the food with chemicals such as bleach to render it unfit for human consumption. A

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

circulated by the group garnered 179,000 signatures. An industry spokesman proposed collecting donations from customers as an alternative, and defended the practice of bleach treatment as necessary to prevent inevitable food poisoning in homeless people eating spoiled food. On April 21, 2015, the SPF organized an event for impoverished French children, providing admission for over 7,000 children to Park Asterix, an amusement park in

Plailly Plailly () is a commune in the Oise department of northern France. In 2022, the population was 1,791 people. It is best known as the home of the Parc Astérix theme park, which opened on 30 April 1989. See also * Parc Astérix * Communes of ...

Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...

, France, based on the popular comic-book character

Asterix the Gaul ''Asterix the Gaul'' () is a French comic story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. First published by Dargaud as a serial for ''Pilote'' magazine in October 1959, it was later released as a comic album in 1961. The stor ...

. The SPF allocated €50,000 to victims of the

April 2015 Nepal earthquake The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) killed 8,962 people and injured 21,952 across the countries of Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh. It occurred at on Saturday 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of Moment magni ...

References

External links

Overview page for English visitorsOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Secours populaire francais Charities based in France Social justice organizations Organizations based in Paris Organizations established in 1944 1945 establishments in France