Helping end hunger in Britain during Covid-19
As the corona virus outbreak unfolds, more and more people are being pushed to the brink, both financially and emotionally. While no one can yet predict the full force of the fall out, the immediate impact of hunger has been felt by society’s most vulnerable since the pandemic began. It’s an issue made all the harder to bear amid reports of food intended for restaurants going to waste and bins overflowing with decaying stockpiled vegetables.
City Harvest, a charity based in West London, is working flat out to join the dots; redistributing food to more than 300 charities across the capital who in turn make nutritious food for some of the city's most vulnerable.
Since mid March City Harvest have received at least 20 tonnes of food a day, up from their usual 35 tonnes a week. On a chilly Monday morning at their warehouse in Acton a tonne of chicken from Nandos is being stacked into boxes, as well as prime steaks from Hawksmoor, burgers from Lidgate and 500 loaves of bread from Gails, all sent from companies desperate to ensure their food does not go to waste.
Facebook sent over two van loads of food from their onsite restaurants, Barings Investments sent 100kg of fruit and vegetables, and Hammersmith Library sent half a tonne of fruit and veg.
Since 2014 City Harvest have quietly saved more than £10 million worth of safe and usable food from landfill, and in doing so offset over 12,000 tons of greenhouse gases. Free of charge, they collect and sort food before redistributing it to London community programmes, including homeless shelters, mental health community projects, family centres, childrens’ programmes and domestic abuse refuges. Jenny, a volunteer at Spitalfields City Farm, said: “The City Harvest delivery was appreciated more than ever this week - the majority of the food was distributed between our local homeless hostel and a community project delivering food parcels to more isolated older people.”
City Harvest’s usual suppliers are Innocent, Bookers and Fruitful Office, as well as smaller retailers, but these have been eclipsed by the sheer number of restaurants, caterers and companies now donating food. Nothing is waster, with any excess that cannot be redistributed frozen to be sent out at a later date.
The core team at the warehouse consists of nine drivers, three warehouse managers, one logistics director, COO Nikki Tadema, one volunteer coordinator and five volunteers. To cope with the huge influx of food City Harvest has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise essential funding, and although they are now up to 20 volunteers per day they need even more help.
Many of those volunteering work in the food industry and have lost their jobs or seen their clients drop off; Maris was head waiter at a high end French restaurant in Covent Garden that was meant to open last week, Roe was studying Leith’s Cooking School and the courses have been suspended indefinitely, Rebecca from Island Poke is their Events Coordinator and she said they’ve all been cancelled for the foreseeable future.
Jennifer Sutcliffe, Founder of JAMS PR, has been volunteering for City Harvest over the past two weeks said: “City Harvest do incredible work to end waste and fight hunger by redistributing food all year round, but now more than ever, their work is essential in supporting some of London's most vulnerable.”
Anyone over age 18 who is able to sort food as its donated is welcome to apply to help, while individuals with warehouse, driving and logistics experience could add other types of support.
Donate to City Harvest's GoFundMe campaign here. You can sign up to volunteer or to donate food via City Harvest’s website here.
Read more
Charities working hard to get ‘tsunami’ of food out to people in need
