The Felix Project and Canary Wharf Group have announced a long-term partnership to help tackle food poverty in London.
The partnership will see the food redistribution charity, which already has four depots spread across London, collect surplus food from businesses at Canary Wharf and hand them out to residents in need in the area, with logistical support from the group.
The two organisations aim to help tackle food poverty that sees an estimated 400,000 children in the capital going to bed without eating a proper meal.
The Canary Wharf Scheme is the first major initiative coming out of the partnership, which involves volunteers from the 128-acre estate delivering surplus food from retailers directly to local charities, schools and community organisations in the area, with 150,000 residents local to Canary Wharf.
Multiple retailers from the estate have already signed up to be a part of the scheme, including M&S, Waitrose and Joe Blake’s.
The two organisations hope for more businesses to jump on board, with over 70 cafés, bars and restaurants in the area, as well as several grocery stores on the estate.
The Green Scheme launches this week, which will see over 1,000 meals provided each week through around ten different organisations, at capacity. The scheme seeks to save over 500 kilos of good food from going to waste. The Canary Wharf Group and The Felix Project aim to recruit as many as 1,000 volunteers to make this happen.
CEO at Canary Wharf Group Shobi Khan said he was delighted to be partnering with The Felix Project.
“We understand that we have a responsibility to create a positive and lasting impact that goes beyond the buildings and places we create.
“Through partnerships like this we aim to ensure Canary Wharf is more than just a place to live or work, but a place where you can be connected to the local community and can have a positive social impact.”
Felix Project CEO Charlotte Hill says the charity is thrilled to partner with Canary Wharf Group, as 4.7 million people in the UK struggle with the cost of food. “This is an issue we cannot afford to ignore and the situation is critical as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies. Many Londoners are trying to feed themselves on less than £3 a day,” she said.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Canary Wharf Group as they’re in the unique position to be able to convene the hundreds of businesses, retailers, employees and residents on the Estate to tackle this issue together, meaning we’ll have a much greater social impact than we would otherwise.”
The next phase of the project will see surplus ingredients from Canary Wharf’s restaurants and office canteens rescued and cooked into hot meals at The Felix Project’s kitchen in neighbouring Poplar, which will be distributed to local community organisations.
