[ [link removed] ]Volunteers and staff of the Après M posing in front of the reconverted
McDonald's building
John,
Once upon a time, in one of France’s poorest neighbourhoods, Kamel and his
coworkers took on McDonald’s and turned their workplace into something
magical.
They spent 20 years fighting the most powerful fast food chain – dreaming
of creating a place that could offer good jobs, fair pay and a chance to
uplift their community out of unemployment and poverty.
McDonald's hated that. It tried everything to get rid of Kamel – even
threatening his life! And when that didn’t work, McDonald’s fired everyone
and shut down the restaurant.
But instead of giving up on their dream, Kamel and his coworkers rolled up
their sleeves and turned the discarded, hollow space McDonald’s abandoned
into a vibrant community food bank — now feeding 2,000 families a week for
free. They rehired staff, redecorated, spread the word and restored the
heart of their community.
This magical place is called l’Après M (“the After M” for after
McDonald's) – and it needs you.
Kamel and his coworkers aren’t home free – their building was just sold to
the city. But with our help, they can pay the rent and turn l’Apres M into
a permanent community oasis – with a proper food bank, restaurant, meeting
facilities, job training centre, and much more. And one day, buy it for
good.
John, can you help Kamel and his team secure the magical place
they built – and give this community a chance to rise?
[ [link removed] ]Chip in
$1[ [link removed] ]Chip
in another amount
l’Après M is a beacon of hope and positive change for this neighbourhood
in Marseille – and for communities across the globe.
In just the first five weeks after l’Après M opened, they served no less
than 100,000 people food parcels. And during the height of the pandemic
l’Après M saved many more, giving them food, support and a sense of
purpose.
But Kamel and his heroic team wanted to do more. They worked with firemen,
farmers and local groups to extend l’Après M’s reach and distribute food –
and their powerful message – to surrounding neighbourhoods.
Now the story of their work is spreading and inspiring movements
worldwide. They even helped McDonald's workers in the U.S. win a $15/hour
minimum wage – a fight that had been dragging on for nearly a decade!
This place is special, John.
l’Après M is a symbol that something bad can be turned into something
beautiful – if enough people come together to do it.
The need for l’Après M is greater than ever...can you chip in right now to
help protect this vital food bank and the beating heart of this
neighbourhood?
[ [link removed] ]Chip in
$1[ [link removed] ]Chip
in another amount
Thanks for all that you do,
Ibrahim, Yasmin, Danny and the SumOfUs team
---------------------------------
More information:
[ [link removed] ]McDonald’s In Marseille Turned Into Food Base To Help Needy
Forbes. 25 April 2020.
[ [link removed] ]French McDonald’s Workers Win Court Ruling Against Restaurant’s Sale
The New York Times. 7 September 2018.
[ [link removed] ](In French) A Marseille, des associations utilisent un ancien McDo pour
distribuer de la nourriture
Mediapart. 11 April 2020.
[ [link removed] ](In Spanish) Marsella, del adorado McDonald’s al ‘fast-food’ social
El País. 6 October 2021.
SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]
