A closed-down former McDonald’s location has transformed into a food bank and community center in the city of Marseille, France serving people in need.
Marseille is known as the ‘secret capital city’ of France with a unique community and one building, in particular, supporting the local community. Within the public housing blocks in the neighborhood of Saint-Barthélemy, what once was a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant has transformed into a food bank and community kitchen to help feed those in need.
The former McDonald’s location closed in 2018, laying off all 77 employees, with the brick-and-mortar location being the only remains of the restaurant. In March 2020, a group of former McDonald’s workers requisitioned the building and partnered with a local association cooking meals for homeless people creating a food bank.
The food bank was rebranded as ‘L’après M’ translating into ‘the After M’ to symbolize the transformation of the location, and within a few months of operation, the project turned into a partnership with 47 local associations. One year after starting the project, the food bank serves around 1,000 people for weekly pickups of free food, including fresh vegetables, cooking essentials, dry foods, and halal meats.
L’après M is operated by a dedicated team of 30-40 volunteers who rotate duties every week, helping the community with more needing help resulting from the global pandemic. During the first lockdown, the volunteers were stretched thin, with some working 22 hours straight to serve the community.
The L’après M location is more than a food bank also serving as a community center featuring a children’s library, computer room, and vegetable garden patch in the parking lot. This organization serves as a symbol of the impact of community outreach programs that can help benefits people worldwide.
