Help the Hungry: The volunteers making The Independent’s campaign possible

These super volunteers are the backbone for London’s fourth emergency service – food provision to the capital’s hungry – and the Felix Project could not function without them

Today Duncan MacNichol was up at 5am to begin his 12-hour shift on the frontline. He picked up a van at a depot in northwest London, drove more than 100 miles to pick up two tons of surplus food, returned to the depot to unload, and then headed back out across the capital to deliver fresh produce to hungry children and adults. He works a 65-hour week – and has done so since the start of the coronavirus outbreak – for no pay.

MacNichol is a volunteer for The Felix Project, our Help The Hungry appeal partner. Since lockdown, Felix has quadrupled food deliveries to vulnerable Londoners to a staggering 100,000 meals a day. But they have had to manage this with a small staff of 22 and a 30-fold reduction in volunteers – from 3,500 to just 115 – as many of their volunteers are over 70 and can no longer work due to Covid-19 restrictions.

These super volunteers are the backbone for London’s fourth emergency service – food provision to the capital’s hungry – and Felix could not function without them. Today we meet six of them and ask why they joined and what volunteering means to them.

Duncan MacNichol, 52

Retired Sainsbury’s night manager

“Going back 10 years, we were instructed by our bosses at Sainsbury’s to destroy all surplus food, but then the likes of Felix came along and suddenly there was no excuse for waste. I was so impressed by Felix’s operation that I promised to volunteer when I retired. Since coronavirus, I do a 65-hour week. I start at their Park Royal depot, drive to Hello Fresh in Banbury and to Mindful Chef near Birmingham, returning with a two-ton payload. Later I deliver to community hubs, charities and schools that have set up food drop centres.

“Recently I supplied a school in Ealing and as I arrived one boy said to his friend, “now we’ve got something to eat tonight”, and I thought, bloody hell. To think some parents have to choose between paying rent and feeding their children and that Felix is the only reason they can do both — it brings a lump to your throat.”

Duncan MacNichol outside The Felix Project, northwest London (Daniel Hambury) (Daniel Hambury)

Allan Fitzgerald, 62

Retired facilities manager for City offices

“I started volunteering for Felix when I retired three years ago, but in January my wife passed away leaving a big hole in my life. I called The Felix Project and told them: ‘From now on I am available full time.’ The isolation of lockdown hits us all hard but I was married for 31 years, so for me volunteering is a godsend. I was doing three half-day shifts a week but now I work six full days. Today I delivered food to a church on a White City estate [west London], 100 yards from where my grandparents lived. It was poignant to help the neighbourhood I visited as a child.”

Kate Hogg, 57

Runs a fundraising consultancy for charities

“I came across Felix when it launched in 2016 and was hired to help them raise funds. I promised myself that one day I would go back and volunteer – and that’s what I did last November. It was amazing to see how Felix had grown into a major lifeline for thousands of Londoners. I thought, incredible growth, incredible impact – it really does walk the talk. In my job, I see the distress inequality causes, but when I go out in a Felix van, I feel I am doing something good for the community. It might sound schmaltzy but, for me, it’s my war effort.”

Supply chain: from left, Allan Fitzgerald, Kate Hogg, Tom Amery and Duncan MacNichol (Daniel Hambury) (Daniel Hambury)

Tom Amery, 27

Economics graduate, works for Cisco Systems

“I started volunteering for Felix in January and the thing that struck me when I first walked into their Park Royal warehouse was the unbelievable quantity of food that would otherwise go to waste. It is such a bustling place and since coronavirus, it’s even busier because major suppliers like Hello Fresh and Sainsbury’s have even more surplus food. It’s a boost for my morale to help during lockdown and satisfying to see the smiles on people’s faces as you arrive in the green Felix van.”

Cath Thorpe, 54

Lawyer and non-executive director of Investec Wealth

“I joined Felix last year because my friend Gary had been there 18 months and loves it, so I went out in the van and got hooked. I started doing one day a week but since coronavirus, I have been doing two full days as a co-driver. It’s hard physical work but it never fails to put a smile on my face. Since lockdown, my partner Rob drives me and today we were on the road for four hours delivering 16 crates of food to six charities and each time we were made to feel like Father Christmas.”

Ajmer Kang, 38

On a career break after working at Amazon

“I started doing charity work because I saw it as an opportunity to make a fairer society. I do four shifts a week at Felix’s Enfield depot, mostly as a driver. What amazes me is the superb quality of the food, with expensive items such as wild salmon otherwise going to waste. It feels good to do something for society and to be seen as an essential frontline service, which is what we are.”

The Independent is encouraging readers to help groups that are trying to feed the hungry across the country – find out how you can help here. Follow this link to donate to our campaign in London, in partnership with the Evening Standard.