The Felix Project’s Enfield base can now store six times as much food as it did previously

Actor David Morrissey cuts the ribbon in The Felix Project's expanded Enfield depot — Actor David Morrissey cuts the ribbon in The Felix Project’s expanded Enfield depot (credit Nigel Howard)

Actor David Morrissey has helped a food charity celebrate the refurbishment and expansion of its depot in Enfield.

The Felix Project is London’s largest food redistribution charity and has a depot at Great Cambridge Industrial Estate currently responsible for delivering 12,000 meals a week to 177 community organisations and schools across the boroughs of Enfield, Barnet, Haringey, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Camden. At full capacity it can now store 500% more food in total than it could before – the equivalent of 90,000 meals every week.

Many local foodbanks, schools, pantries and other food charities are supplied with by The Felix Project, which redistributes food from supermarkets that can no longer be sold. Thanks to large new walk-in refrigerators and freezers, the Enfield depot can now store 90 pallets of chilled food and 18 pallets of frozen food.

Charlotte Hill OBE, chief executive of The Felix Project, said: “The improvements are incredible, and we could not have done it without the generous support of so many organisations.

“The increased capacity means we are able store enough food to help thousands more people in London and crucially ensure we can accept frozen food, which can be used when fresh surplus food supply is low. What is vital now is that we get new suppliers giving us their surplus. We urgently need more food so we can be there for those facing hunger and to ensure community organisations can have their incredible impact.

“Every single organisation we supply is asking for more food and there are over 600 new organisations on our waiting list, many right here in North London, but we need more food before we can start to do anything to help.”

The Enfield depot’s refurbishment would not have been possible without funding from Ocado, The BAND Trust, The Chellaram Foundation and FareShare which is funded by Sainsbury’s.

Dionne John, Enfield Food Alliance co-ordinator, said: “Without The Felix Project we wouldn’t be able to reach the communities who desperately need our help. This collaboration makes it possible for us to support its most vulnerable residents.

“At Enfield Food Alliance our membership of over 60 organisations work with a wide spectrum of people including those supporting the Somali, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Bulgarian, Turkish and other ethnic groups. Grassroots, a member of the food alliance, is a network of foodbanks and pantries and Felix food goes to both.

“We just could not operate on the scale that we do without Felix, instead people would be queuing round the block for limited stock and we would have to turn very vulnerable people away.”

A total of 95 volunteers help sort, pack and deliver the food at the Enfield depot. One of those volunteers is actor David Morrissey, the Sherwood and Britannia star who has been volunteering with the charity since 2017 and was at the depot to cut the ribbon. He said: “I first started volunteering with The Felix Project because I thought the idea of saving food from going to waste and giving it to people in need was just such a simple and effective way to make a difference.

“I am astounded by how the charity has grown and now how great this new depot is. I just hope they can get in even more food and volunteer support to ensure they can be there to feed more people.”

For more information about The Felix Project:
Visit thefelixproject.org

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