Royals often reveal plaques and cut ribbons, but this wasn’t the case for King Charles III as His Majesty made an unusual reveal and unveiled a freezer at the Felix Project, one of London’s largest food redistribution charities.
During His Majesty’s visit, The King met with staff, volunteers, and partner organisations who work to provide meals to some of London’s most vulnerable. The Felix Project works to tackle two issues – food waste and food poverty. This is done by rescuing high-quality surplus food from a wide range of sources.
Those sources include supermarkets, farms, and food manufacturers. Once the food is rescued, it is distributed to feed around 1,000 community groups and schools across London.
The Felix project supplies pantries, homeless shelters, domestic abuse refuges, food banks, and more than 170 schools throughout London’s boroughs. This summer, the project will give its 100 millionth meal since it opened. During a facility tour, The King saw the kitchen and met with the volunteers busy preparing and packing meals. He also explored the depot area with custom-made walk-in chillers to keep produce fresh.
Unveiling a new freezer during the engagement, this was one of 600 that will be sent to community partners to ensure even more food waste can be saved. The new freezers are thanks to a starter fund of £1 million, including a donation from The King and the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund. The fridges and freezers will be sent nationwide, and 200 more are being readied.
The donation was announced in December of 2022 as food banks and charities experienced unprecedented demand due to a higher cost of living and fewer donations. Baroness Louise Casey, a trustee of The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund, said at the time: “This action will mean many more food banks and charities across the UK will be able to store more fresh food and reduce the tragedy of food waste in the winter months ahead.
“This is the right thing to do for those in need, the sustainable environment, and especially at this time of year when so many citizens want to offer their help.”
Felix’s Kitchen has become vital to The Felix Project’s operations since its establishment in 2021. Using surplus food, the kitchen makes 3,500 – 5,000 meals every day, including chicken curry, rice or lentil bake, and mashed potatoes.
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