What happened to the money?

Yes when one of our neighbours had a heart attack it was the pompiers who arrived and rushed him to hospital. They don't do the hornets' nests any more here though.
Never been given biscuits at the Mairie, but one of my favourite jobs as a councillor is putting up the Nativity creche with the little wooden figures that go back generations. I try, unsuccessfully, to bring a bit of colour co-ordination to the tinsel.....

Our firefighters rescue cats from trees and little boys with their heads stuck through railings!

They are brilliant in France - they do much more than put out fires!

Ah volunteer firemen! I always remember a colleague of mine in my water company days got killed in a factory fire. So sad. I would give to them.

Am I the only sucker they go for in France? We were set upon by chuggers in Paris - deaf people collecting for a deaf charity - unscrupulous in trying to separate us from our Euros - we proposed 5 euros each and they tried to tell us they would take nothing less than 10. So we said 'non' and scarpered at speed! They were targeting tourists.

I take the post office staff and the mairie staff a box of biscuits each, because they are always so helpful with paperwork. They were quite surprised at first - I don't think anybody had ever given them anything before.

Oh yes, of course, the fire service, the postman and the bin men, all with their calendars. Of course most of the fire brigade are volunteers so I am happy to give my donation (and you never know when you might need them), though I never know what to do with three calendars.
Jess, I think you are right - it is probably a socialist / republican thing.

I miss charity shops - I always find a couple when I am visiting Manchester.
The only donation I have ever been asked for in France is the annual tip for the fire service - they used to come round when I lived in more well-populated villages but I haven't seen them here. (Of course, I never spend Christmas here alone so they may come when I am off visiting my family).
I had access to the accounts of many charities and I was not impressed by some, where the CEO lived in a large, rent-free property and had a very good salary.

There are fake charity collectors, Mamie. In the market in Vaison La Romaine there was a little stall with very drowsy puppies and kittens, purporting to be collecting for an animal charity. The poor things were so badly cared for (and we thought they had been doped) that anyone could see they were nothing to do with caring for animals, but the GD had to be dragged away and obviously it was the 'pester power' of kids that they were relying on to elicit donations from parents.

Not a very charitable tradition maybe? All members of La Republique and therefore no "deserving poor" in need of largesse??

I do find it interesting that charity has such a low profile in France (at least in my experience). Charity shops are rare, there aren't any in our local towns, nobody comes round collecting, nobody stands on street corners collecting, nothing comes in the post and you don't get the adverts on the television. You sometimes get people collecting items of food outside supermarkets, especially at Christmas, but that is all I have ever seen. There are also charity events sometimes, like a bingo evening, but not very often. I know there are also Emmaeus shops in the large towns and cities. It may be that I am missing something, but I wonder why it is so high-profile in the UK and not here?

The ATC were packing in Waitrose yesterday. I don't mind giving them something - they are very polite and sociable, happy to chat with the oldies and they are saving money for a visit to the WW1 battlefields which I think will be educational for them.

Mishap I dislike that too. I wonder whether charities ever do any research into how cost-effective their marketing is. The stuff is usually poor quality and goes straight into the bin.
I just carry on donating to the charities I have supported for years - Research into Ageing, Save the Children, the Salvation Army, and Saving Faces, which supports research into Facial Surgery (proper surgery for people with disfigurements resulting from accidents or cancer, not cosmetic stuff).
If any of my friends are mad enough to do 100-mile bike rides, climb the 3 peaks in 24 hours and that kind of think, I donate to those too.
The other thing that annoys me is when supermarkets allow people to offer to pack your bags in the supermarket in return for a donation to their charity - I never let them because I like to pack my own, and then feel mean. I know I could still give them a donation, but I don't, because I don't like being put in that position.
There's logic for you

WWF always send me a book of raffle tickets and a page of address stickers - unfortunately they are under the impression that I'm a Mr. I assure you I'm not!

I am always concerned about how donations are used. We support a child via Action Aid, although we never communicate with him/her as we feel that is a bit patronising. In reality I think the support a child front is just that, a front - the money is used for development in that child's community and that is fine by me. I hear good feedback about what Action Aid are doing - there was something on Womans Hour just last week where women had been given the opportunity to develop their own rural industries in Africa.

I do dislike giving with strings attached. A friend asked me to fill a shoebox with Christmas goodies for a child in the third world and I willingly did so; but later discovered that a bible is added to the box before it reaches its recipient - hmmm.

I also hate those charities that send you something - a pen, a sheet of address stickers etc. - and then ask you to pay for them. Don't know why I dislike this approach, but I just do. I suppose I do not want to be "guilted" into giving.