The King has visited London’s largest food redistribution charity to see how meals are provided to some of the capital’s most vulnerable people.
Charles met with staff, volunteers and Evening Standard proprietor Lord Lebedev at the Felix Project during a tour of its warehouse and kitchens in Poplar, east London, on Wednesday.
The charity was set up in 2016 to tackle food waste and food poverty by founders Justin and Jane Byam Shaw in memory of their son Felix.
It was the partner charity of the Standard’s Food for London Now appeal that helped set up its social kitchen Felix’s Kitchen, where chefs take surplus food ingredients from the charity’s depot and turn them into meals.
The Felix Project rescues high-quality surplus food from farms, food manufacturers and supermarkets before distributing it to around 1,000 community groups and schools across London.
It supplies foodbanks, homeless shelters, domestic abuse refuges and more than 170 schools across all of the capital’s boroughs.
This summer, Felix will distribute its 100 millionth meal since opening.
Last year it received a “substantial personal donation” from the King to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis.
The money donated by His Majesty is being used to supply fridges and freezers to hundreds of organisations in London and the rest of the UK, enabling them to rescue and store more fresh and frozen food.
The Kitchen uses surplus food to create up to 5,000 meals every day, which are then distributed to organisations that help people, including those with no access to cooking facilities.
The charity is also a beneficiary of our recent On the Breadline cost of living appeal that raised more than £4 million to help the most disadvantaged people across Britain.
During Wednesday’s visit, Charles toured the kitchens, where volunteers prepared and packed meals.
He also unveiled a freezer, which is due to be sent out to a community partner, and also saw one of The Felix Project’s electric vans being loaded ready for delivery.
The King said: “I must just say what a remarkable organisation the Felix Project is and I just wanted to join in thanking them, and congratulating them, on the remarkable differences they are making all around this country - you’re setting a fantastic example.
“And above all it’s a wonderful example of volunteering as well at its best. So I can’t thank you enough and all the volunteers who represent a remarkable number all around this country who make so many valuable things happen in a remarkable way.”
The Felix Project has received widespread support since launching, with England footballer Reece James, musicians Craig David and Tinie Tempah and YouTuber KSI among the famous names backing its work.
Earlier this month actors from TV series Gangs of London gave out food parcels prepared by the charity with young people from community projects Rise 365 and Made Up Kitchen on the Kingsmead estate in Hackney.
