More than half a million people rely on food aid in Belgium , according to Restos du Cœur Belgium and the Food Aid Coordination of the Federation of Social Services, which are calling for a mobilisation in Brussels on 26 September.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the two organisations said the date marks the anniversary of Coluche’s appeal, which led to the creation of Restos du Cœur.
Last year, Belgium’s 21 Restos du Cœur branches distributed 1,569,180 meals and food parcels, an increase of 134% over six years.
During the same period, the federal budget earmarked for the purchase of essential goods fell from €27 million in 2025 to €15 million in 2026, the organisations said.
They warned that the reduction in funding is already having a direct impact on the ground, with stocks under pressure, associations forced to finance extra purchases, and charities having to find new resources to maintain support.
“Organisations in the food aid sector cannot go on indefinitely absorbing the consequences of poverty while seeing their own resources shrink. How much longer can this situation remain sustainable?” said Patrick Dejace, spokesperson and strategic director of Restos du Cœur Belgium.
Brigitte Grisar, a project officer at the FDSS, said poverty could be overcome if society chose to tackle it. “Defeating poverty is a social choice, not an inevitability,” she said.
In response, Restos du Cœur and the FDSS are urging people to gather in Brussels on Saturday from 10 a.m. at Place de l’Albertine.
A 'Line of Empty Plates' will then form from Rue de la Régence to Place Poelaert between 11.15 a.m and 11.45 a.m.
The two federations say that, through the action, they want to underline that “the fight against food insecurity is a collective responsibility.”
