The Felix Project

{{Short description|UK charitable organisation}} The '''Felix Project''' is a United Kingdom charitable organisation that saves surplus food from suppliers and redistributes it to charities. It has the dual aims of reducing food surplus and relieving food poverty.

==Work== The Felix Project redistributes food that supermarkets, wholesalers and other suppliers cannot sell for a variety of reasons, ranging from seasonal gluts and packaging defects, to changes in customer orders. It sorts and delivers food, free of charge, direct to local kitchens, community halls, schools, day centres and food banks. The charities provide meals, snacks or food parcels for their clients who include the elderly, the homeless, those with mental health issues, refugees and asylum seekers, families and children.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

The Waste & Resources Action Programme (abbr. WRAP) estimated that 10 million tonnes of food was thrown away in the UK in 2016.<ref name="wraporg"/> Sustain estimate 18% or one in five London pupils are at risk of hunger every day.<ref name="sustain"/>

They collect or receive food from over 539 suppliers, which is then distributed to nearly 1000 front-line charities, schools and holiday programmes in London. In 2021, they provided food for 30,000,000 meals. As well as redistributing food, Felix's Kitchen in Poplar, East London, uses donated fresh produce to create circa 4,000 "ready meals" a day. (numbers correct as of Jan 2024) <ref name="'The Felix Project: Our story'">{{cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://thefelixproject.org/about/our-story |website=The Felix Project {{!}} London charity fighting food waste and hunger |access-date=3 January 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

==History== The Felix Project was founded in July 2016 by Justin Byam Shaw,<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Board |url=https://thefelixproject.org/our-board |website=The Felix Project |access-date=16 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref> in memory of his teenage son Felix who died suddenly from meningitis. His mother, who is a trustee of the charity, said that Felix "hated the idea of poverty and deprivation, of people or animals going hungry".<ref name="mening"/>

The organisation started with a van and a depot in West London.<ref name="van"/> A new depot in North London opened in November 2017. In 2018, weekly food deliveries to primary schools started with Stanhope Primary School,<ref name="stanhope"/> and a green scheme for cyclists and walkers to collect and deliver food in a courier bag.

==Campaigns== The London Evening Standard and The Independent's 2017 Christmas Appeal<ref name="xmas appeal"/> raised £1,049,896<ref name="ES£1m"/> for the Felix Project's ''Help a Hungry Child Programme'' to establish 'market stalls' in primary schools, to help channel surplus food from suppliers directly to those young children and their families who are in the greatest need. The aim is to ensure no child in any primary school supported by the charity goes hungry.<ref name="indi launch article"/>

56 Team Felix runners took part in The Big Half,<ref name="BigHalf"/> London's new half-marathon.

Collaboration with top London chefs aims to raise the profile of high-quality gastronomy and show the value of surplus food to encourage social inclusion. This includes partnering with Refettorio Felix at St Cuthbert's Centre, a community kitchen founded by chef Massimo Bottura, and being the official charity partner for London Food Month<ref name="cuthbert"/> which was attended by more than 100,000 people.

==Funding== The Felix Project is funded by donations from individuals, corporate supporters and the Felix Byam Shaw Foundation.<ref name="foundation"/> The Evening Standard's Food for London campaign had The Felix Project as its flagship charity.<ref name="flagship"/> Corporate sponsors donate vans, fridges and contribute to running costs.

Crowdfunding helped raise funds for a new depot in North London.<ref name="fund"/>

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs awarded funding in the first round of their Food Waste Fund, which was awarded to redistribution organisations to substantially reduce food waste from businesses.<ref name="defra"/>

==Awards==

2017 Beacon Award for Philanthropy, for Justin Byam Shaw, founder of The Felix Project<ref name="award"/>

==See also==

* Hunger in the United Kingdom

==References== <references>

<ref name="wraporg">{{cite web|url=http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/food-waste-recycling-action-plan/|title=The Food Waste Recycling Action Plan, WRAP|date=July 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="sustain">{{cite web|url=https://www.sustainweb.org/publications/beyond_the_food_bank_2017/|title=London Food Poverty Profile report: Beyond the Food Bank Sustain - London Food Poverty Profile report: Beyond the Food Bank Sustain|date=October 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="mening">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/foodforlondon/food-for-london-charity-the-felix-project-set-up-in-memory-of-a-boy-whose-life-was-tragically-cut-a3349156.html|title=The Felix Project, set up in memory of a boy whose life was tragically cut short Evening Standard|date=September 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="cuthbert">{{cite web|url=http://londonfoodmonth.co.uk/refettorio-felix/|title=London Food Month,30 days celebrating food at over 400 events across London|date=June 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="foundation">{{cite web|url=http://www.felixbyamshawfoundation.org/index.html|title=The Felix Byam Shaw Foundation}}</ref>

<ref name="flagship">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/foodforlondon/food-for-london-the-evening-standard-launches-a-campaign-to-collect-wasted-food-and-give-it-to-the-a3349191.html|title=Food for London: The Evening Standard launches a campaign to collect wasted food – and give it to the hungry, Evening Standard|date=September 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="fund">{{cite web|url=https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-felix-project/|title=The Felix Project – a food waste depot for London Crowdfunder|date=December 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="award">{{cite web|url=http://beaconawards.org.uk/beacon-awards-2017/beacon-awards-2017-winners|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609054718/http://beaconawards.org.uk/beacon-awards-2017/beacon-awards-2017-winners|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 9, 2017|title=Beacon Award winners Beacon Awards|date=May 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="xmas appeal">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/help-a-hungry-child/help-feed-londons-hungry-children-our-christmas-appeal-a3703711.html|title=Help feed London's hungry children: Our Christmas appeal|date=November 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="indi launch article">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/helpahungrychild/food-waste-poverty-help-a-hungry-child-the-independent-campaign-felix-project-london-a8071371.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/helpahungrychild/food-waste-poverty-help-a-hungry-child-the-independent-campaign-felix-project-london-a8071371.html |archive-date=2022-06-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Help a Hungry Child: The two tonnes of food in this warehouse was destined for landfill - here's how it won't go to waste|date=November 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="stanhope">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/helpahungrychild/help-a-hungry-child-market-stall-independent-appeal-felix-project-london-food-waste-children-poverty-a8092481.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/helpahungrychild/help-a-hungry-child-market-stall-independent-appeal-felix-project-london-food-waste-children-poverty-a8092481.html |archive-date=2022-06-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Market stall opened in London school|date=December 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="ES£1m">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/help-a-hungry-child/thank-you-readers-you-ve-raised-1m-for-hungry-children-a3738581.html|title=Readers raised £1m for hungry children|date=January 2018}}</ref>

<ref name="BigHalf">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/help-a-hungry-child/build-up-to-it-gradually-team-felix-put-through-paces-to-run-london-half-marathon-to-help-hungry-a3736506.html|title=Team Felix put through paces to run London half marathon to help hungry kids|date=January 2018}}</ref>

<ref name="van">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/help-a-hungry-child/from-a-single-delivery-van-to-20000-meals-how-the-felix-project-grew-a3703676.html|title=From a single delivery van to 20,000 meals: How the Felix Project grew|date=November 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="defra">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/food-waste-fund-4-million-awarded-to-cut-food-waste|title=Food Waste Fund: £4 million awarded to cut food waste|date=May 2019}}</ref>

</references>

==External links== * [https://www.thefelixproject.org The Felix Project] * [https://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1168183&SubsidiaryNumber=0 The Felix Project, registered charity no. 1168183] * [http://www.felixbyamshawfoundation.org/index.html The Felix Byam Shaw Foundation]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix Project, The}} Category:Charities based in England Category:Charities based in London Category:Food waste in the United Kingdom