London's Largest Food Charity Serves 38 Million Meals Annually While Advocating for Policy Change
What began as a heartfelt response to a young boy's observation about childhood hunger has grown into London's most significant food redistribution operation. The Felix Project, founded in memory of 14-year-old Felix who died suddenly from meningitis in 2014, now provides an astonishing 38 million meals annually to those facing food insecurity across the capital.
From Garage Beginnings to London-Wide Impact
The charity's origins trace back to a family garage, where Felix's relatives established the organisation following his tragic passing. The inspiration came from an incident when Felix was just ten years old, playing in a football tournament where he discovered that many opposing team members hadn't eaten that day. This memory stayed with his father Justin and ultimately motivated the family to create what has become London's premier food redistribution charity.
In the last year alone, The Felix Project has supported nearly 30,000 individuals and 107 organisations across three West London boroughs: Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow. The organisation works extensively with major food retailers including Ocado and Sainsbury's, collecting surplus stock that would otherwise go to waste and redirecting it to food banks and community organisations.
Speed and Efficiency in Food Distribution
At their Acton distribution hub, speed is absolutely critical to the operation. Much of the donated food has a short shelf life, making rapid distribution essential. Food frequently arrives and reaches families' plates on the same day, ensuring maximum freshness and nutritional value for recipients.
Karen, a volunteer with Hillingdon Pentecostal which operates seven weekly food banks supplied by The Felix Project, emphasised the charity's vital role: "The Felix Project is amazingly helpful, without them there would be many hundred more hungry people, we wouldn't survive – it's our sole supplier." She noted increasing numbers of families with children visiting food banks, highlighting growing demand across communities.
Beyond Food: Addressing Hygiene Poverty
In recent years, The Felix Project has expanded its offerings beyond basic food supplies to include essential hygiene products like toothpaste and shampoo. Charlie Neal, the charity's communications manager, explained this development stems from observing increasing dental problems among children whose families cannot afford basic hygiene items.
"We are seeing a massive increase in kids with dental problems because people have to go without toothpaste because parents are having to make these impossible decisions," Neal stated. "It's having a knock-on effect on people's confidence if they don't have clean clothes, clean hair, and so on."
Neal challenged the notion of sub-categorising poverty, arguing that "23 per cent of working families are going to food banks, and that's just the working people...people have to choose what is essential. There is no such thing as dental poverty or youth poverty – it's all poverty."
Calling for Government Action on Food Waste
The charity also collaborates with farmers to collect produce that doesn't meet supermarket specifications for size or appearance, redirecting approximately 3.3 million tonnes of UK farm food waste that would otherwise be used for animal feed or biofuel production.
Charlotte Hill OBE, CEO of The Felix Project and FareShare, has called for government intervention through tax policy changes. "We would like to see the Government give food businesses corporation tax relief when they donate food," she explained. "Currently companies get tax relief for donating money, land, property and equipment or trading stock, they even get it if they donate employee time, but nothing for food."
Hill highlighted that while the UK rescued and redistributed 191,000 tonnes of food in 2023 – equivalent to 456 million meals – this represents less than 1% of available surplus food. She pointed to international examples where tax incentives have successfully increased food donations, suggesting similar policies could significantly boost The Felix Project's capacity to address food insecurity across London.
