The COVID-19 outbreak is hitting the poorest, hardest. The Felix Project has never seen such a high demand for food in London. In order to respond to this crisis, we are expanding our operations so that we can reach as many people as possible who are vulnerable and in need of food. Since lockdown began, we have:
- Tripled the amount of food we rescue from surplus and send out across London, delivering 1.63 million meals in April
- Delivered food direct to the emergency food hubs which are now operating in every London borough
- Changed the way we work in our warehouses, enforcing new health and safety rules to keep staff and volunteers safe
- Teamed up with restaurants to get home-made ready-meals to the homeless and NHS staff
- Worked with charities who turn our food into meals and deliver door-door for people who cannot leave their homes
- Formed the London Food Alliance with two other food redistribution charities to make sure we're working in collaboration
- Our food is reaching people who have lost their jobs, people on low incomes, children and families who are struggling, people who are sick, key workers struggling to find food, older people who are isolated, people who are homeless, survivors of domestic abuse, and refugees.
We are doing all we can to respond to this crisis, help the most vulnerable get food, and make sure no one is left behind. But we need your help to reach as many people as possible. A £30 donation will deliver 165 meals for people in desperate need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are you reaching with food?
We are reaching London’s most vulnerable – children and families surviving on a low income, elderly people who cannot leave their homes, people who are homeless, people who are sick, survivors of domestic violence, and refugees. We are also reaching NHS keyworkers by delivering to schools and hospitals.
How are you reaching people with food?
We rescue good quality surplus food supply and deliver it to emergency food hubs, food banks, homeless shelters, local charities, churches, schools and hospitals. Most of this food is fresh, but we are also delivering some cooked meals.
Once the the food reaches it's intended destination, it can be distributed as fresh food, or cooked and delivered as a meal. Many of the organisations we work with are now cooking meals and delivering them to people’s doors.
How much food are you delivering?
In April we delivered enough food for 1.63 MILLION meals. On our best day, we moved 44 tonnes of food - which is like 3.5 London buses full of food.
How are you delivering to schools – aren’t they all shut?
Schools are still open to keyworker families and they are still providing support for families who are struggling. Some of the schools we work with run ‘market days’ with the food we provide, so families on low income can come and collect.
How are you getting food to NHS staff?
We are delivering to hospitals so that our essential NHS staff – many of whom are working round the clock – get food that is healthy and nutritious. NHS staff also collect food from the schools we provide to.
How do the new emergency food hubs work?
The emergency food hubs are being created by local councils to meet this new demand for food. There will be at least one hub in every borough. Some have already been created – like this one which is running in Tottenham Football Stadium. As part of the London Food Alliance, The Felix Project is one of the charities supplying food into the hubs.
What is the London Food Alliance?
The London Food Alliance is made up of three of the country’s largest food redistribution charities: The Felix Project, City Harvest, and FareShare. We have joined forces to respond to this crisis because it is better to work together. The London Food Alliance is delivering food to London’s emergency food hubs.
I need food
If you - or someone you know - needs food urgently we recommend registering with your council as a person in need (see below), or connecting to your local foodbank or to your local covid-19 mutual aid group.
You can search for foodbanks on the Trussel Trust website, or on the Independent Food Bank website.
3 councils have emergency support applications set up and we will add to this list as other councils establish similar resources:
- Hackney emergency support application
- Ealing emergency support application
- Haringey emergency support application
We will keep updating this page as we know more.
I have food, can I donate it?
We do not take food donations from individuals; we recommend you take this food to your local food bank.
If you are a business or food supplier and you would like to donate food, please visit this page for more information.
How are you protecting volunteers?
For health and safety reasons, we are now limiting the number of people coming in and out of our warehouses - which means we are asking volunteers to commit to working with us several days a week, every week. We are enforcing strict social distancing rules in our warehouses and van drivers must now deliver on their own, with no co-driver. We are also enforcing strict hand washing rules, and making gloves available.
I would like to volunteer
We are not accepting new volunteers at this stage. This is because we’ve had an incredible response from the public – over 850 people have signed up to volunteer in two weeks alone and many of our regular volunteers are working extra shifts. This means our positions are now full. We also need to limit the number of new people coming into our depos, for health and safety reasons.
If you are able to, please consider making a donation to our appeal – funding is where our greatest need currently lies. We would also love your help in the future – as soon as we need more volunteers, we will post on our social media channels and on our email newsletter. Sign up to keep updated.