The Canary Wharf Group and The Felix Project, a food redistribution charity, have agreed a long-term partnership that will see them join forces to tackle food poverty in London.
Both organizations aim to achieve long-term social impact while prioritizing sustainability while addressing this pressing issue, which sees around 400,000 children in the capital falling asleep without a proper evening meal.
The Felix development, which includes four warehouses across London, including one close to Canary Wharf in neighboring Poplar, will benefit from the strength, vitality and scale of the property. Canary Wharf Group will make it easier to reach its businesses, workers and residents while providing facilities, logistical assistance and support in the form of volunteer and fundraising campaigns.
The first major initiative will be the launch of the new Canary Wharf green scheme, which involves volunteers from the estate delivering surplus food from retailers directly to local charities, schools and community organisations. Many of the property’s retailers have already signed up for the scheme, including M&S, Joe Blake’s and Waitrose. With over 70 cafes, bars, restaurants and seven grocery stores on the estate, the two establishments aim to share many more cafes over the coming months.
The green project will be launched this week – with a capacity this will provide more than 1,000 meals each week, through around 10 different local community organisations, saving over 500 kilos of quality food from waste. To achieve this, the Canary Wharf group and The Felix Project aim to recruit up to 1,500 volunteers.
The next phase of the partnership will see surplus ingredients from Canary Wharf restaurants and office canteens salvaged and cooked into hot meals at Felix Kitchen in nearby Poplar, which will be distributed to local community organisations.
Shobi Khan, CEO at Canary Wharf Group commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with The Felix Project. At Canary Wharf Group, we understand that we have a responsibility to make a positive and lasting impact that goes beyond the buildings and places we create.
“Our purpose is to bring people together to improve lives now and in the future, and we always pride ourselves on our ability to create a meaningful, long-term relationship with our communities based around Canary Wharf. Through partnerships like these, we aim to ensure Canary Wharf is more than just a place to live or work, But it is a place where you can connect with the local community and can have a positive social impact.
“The business community at Canary Wharf has a huge role to play in making Project Felix a success, and some of our local businesses have already signed on, including Morgan Stanley and Barclays. With such a focus of retail and office work on the property, a key part of our role as a partner will be to deliver philanthropy.” To our wider community and achieve the scale required to have a real and lasting impact on the lives of local people.
“We have plenty of people who can do their part, whether they work, live or visit here regularly, and I urge anyone who would like to set aside a couple of hours to volunteer and help us get surplus food for those who need it most.”
Charlotte Hill, CEO of The Felix Project, commented: “In the UK, 4.7 million people 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.
“We are delighted to be partnering with the Canary Wharf Group as they are uniquely positioned to bring together hundreds of businesses, retailers, employees and residents of the property to tackle this issue together, which means we will have a much greater social impact than we would otherwise have anticipated. They have the access and logistics we need. To make the scheme a success at a time when the need is so great, they are committed to the same long-term, sustainable and meaningful change that we built our charitable foundation for.”
Through the partnership, Canary Wharf Group will host a number of fundraising opportunities including Project Felix’s first flagship event in the fall, to be announced in the coming months.