“People are really struggling with access to fresh and healthy food”
Marcus Roberts explains how the present of cost of living crisis has prompted a bike ride to raise money for those needing fresh food
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Your support makes all the difference.With the current cost of living crisis, people are really struggling with access to fresh and healthy food. That is why I will be embarking on an epic fundraising adventure this Saturday with some of my team to help raise awareness for The Felix Project. The work done at the charity is more vital now than ever before.
A mixed group of 22 - including both staff and volunteers such as Mantas Keblis the manager of our Park Royal depot, and Leon Aarts, the head of the Felix’s Kitchen - will be undertaking a sponsored cycle ride for more than 100km across central London, and will be visiting on the way each of the four depots that The Felix Project operate. This involves riding from Poplar in East London, through Park Royal in West London, taking in Deptford in South London, and then upto Enfield in North London.
Many of the charities and community organisations we work with are struggling right now because of rising food and energy costs, and demand for our services is increasing at a tremendous rate. I thought this would be a great opportunity to shine a light on what we do and to try to help raise some much-needed funds for The Felix Project.
It wouldn’t be right to fly off on some exotic adventure when there are so many people finding it hard just to put food on the table right here in the UK so we decided to do something fun in the city in which we operate, London. This event has not cost us a penny to organise.
Each person taking part will use their own bike and will be provided with some tasty surplus food to eat at each of the depots we visit on the day. Then at the end of the ride there will be a nice cooked meal lovingly made by the team at Felix’s Kitchen, where we are currently producing up to 5000 meals a day from all the surplus food we receive from our generous suppliers like Ocado, Daylesford, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Hello Fresh, Fortnum and Mason, Amazon Fresh and Natoora.
I have had some absolutely incredible support, starting with all my friends and family who’ve all been so kind to sponsor me, and from the likes of Lord and Lady Bamford who kindly donated an extremely generous sum via the Bamford Charitable Foundation. I’ve even had the help of actors David Morrisey and Freddie Fox, Miel De Botton, chef Melissa Hemsley, the Marchioness of Northampton and the artist Christopher Brooks, all of whom kindly contributed. This means I will have already raised over £13,000 when my initial goal was £500!
Every donation made enables The Felix Project to make more meals of fresh nutritious food from surplus produce that might otherwise go to waste. This food goes on to be delivered to some of London’s most vulnerable people. By making a donation you are helping in the fight against food waste and food poverty and making a positive difference to thousands of Londoners lives.
There’s still time to get involved and support us in this fundraising adventure for The Felix Project. Please click the link below. A fiver, a tenner, whatever you can give will be greatly appreciated. You can sponsor our depot-to-depot bike ride here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marcusroberts7
If anyone reading this would like to come and volunteer for The Felix Project, we would be very grateful for your support. There are numerous routes we use around London for driving and distribution throughout the week.
You don’t have to cycle across London like we are, you can help out in Felix’s Kitchen to prep and prepare the meals; go on a walking route in the city; help out in one of the depots or collect surplus food from our suppliers and redistribute it to some of the local charities we work with.
Drivers and co-drivers are always desperately needed and you can choose a route that fits in with you and your life.
Come and join us at The Felix Project, help us to get more fresh and healthy food to people right across London.
Marcus Roberts is the Relationship Manager at The Felix Project. Find out more about volunteering for the Felix Project by going to https://thefelixproject.org/help-us/volunteer-london
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