Food for London Now: Felix Project takes over south London depot of Marcus Rashford charity FareShare

The Standard’s Food For London Now campaign partner has bolstered its capacity to distribute food by an additional 100 tonnes a week.

The Felix Project, London’s largest surplus food distributor, yesterday took ownership of the huge south London depot of charity network FareShare, which works with England footballer Marcus Rashford to tackle rising hunger.  

The deal means it is now virtually our campaign alone that will be delivering on the ambition to tackle food poverty in London, with more than a thousand volunteers devoting time to the project.  

The Felix Project already supplies over 430 charities, schools and food hubs with nutritious produce that would otherwise be wasted. Its operations have been underpinned by the Standard’s campaign to raise £10 million.

Felix is taking over FareShare’s Deptford distribution centre, which was used to deliver enough food for 238,000 meals a week at the peak of the first lockdown. The Covid-19 restrictions in March led to a surge in need for emergency food. Food Standards Agency figures show that up to 7.7 million adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reduced portions or skipped meals due to a lack of money in April and May. Up to 3.7 million people were forced to rely on emergency food from charities and food banks. There are concerns that the second  national lockdown could lead to even more food poverty. 

Mark Curtin, CEO of The Felix Project, said: “We are thrilled to begin this partnership with FareShare, who do a fantastic job of unlocking food nationally.”

Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of FareShare, said: “With more than two million tonnes of food going to waste within the supply chain each year whilst millions of vulnerable people experience food insecurity, there has never been a more crucial time to join forces.”

Deliveroo will deploy its riders to help feed thousands of families this Christmas. The couriers have been taking food from Co-op shops and Pret a Manger cafes to The Felix Project and FareShare since the October half-term holiday. Deliveroo CEO Will Shu said he was “pleased to be working with such great partners to make a contribution to support families across the UK”.

 Reference: Evening Standard: Vincent Wood:  10 hrs ago