- 32% say they would close their food service without food from Felix
- 52% would have to scale back on the support they currently offer
- 54% have seen demand increase and 13% of those say it has more than doubled in the last 12 months
- During that time, 76% of the charities surveyed managed to help more people thanks to the food they receive
- 91% of charities surveyed offer a wide variety of wrap around support services as well as food
The UK’s largest food rescue charity has found more than 80% of the organisations it supplies could be at risk were it not for the redistributed surplus food they receive.
A survey of more than 2,700 UK charities has found that without that rescued food, 32% would have to close their food support and 52% would need to scale back their offer because they could not otherwise afford the food they need.
Since 91% of those charities provide wrap around services such as employment support, financial and legal advice, or other activities and care, the figures show just how precarious these vital community services could be without a reliable supply of good, nutritious, rescued food.
With the Iran conflict leading to food and fuel price increases, more and more people face food insecurity. The survey revealed that 41% of charities who receive food from Felix have seen an increase in demand, and for a further 13%, demand more than doubled in the last 12 months.
Meanwhile, according to WRAP it’s estimated a billion meals go to waste every year. Felix works with supermarkets, restaurants, wholesalers, manufacturers and farmers to rescue that food and get it where it’s needed most.
Charlotte Hill OBE, CEO of Felix said:
“The current situation is a perfect storm. Food inflation means more people simply can’t afford to feed themselves and their families and have no choice but to turn to a charity. At the same time the charity sector is seeing higher costs and reduced donations. That’s why The Felix Project and FareShare have come together to form a bigger more ambitious organisation, Felix. Separately both charities achieved amazing things but united we are stronger and have a much more powerful voice.
“We saw this in action last month when the Prime Minister announced the Government would work alongside the food industry, the voluntary sector and funders to build a plan to treble food redistribution in the UK. Through this vital work we’re turning the environmental problem of surplus food, that would otherwise go to waste, into a social opportunity. By sharing that food with more than 8,000 charities across the UK, we are helping them support more people and strengthen local communities.”
The data has been released on the same day it’s been revealed that Felix is the new name for merged charities The Felix Project and FareShare, who recently merged in order to rescue and redistribute more food and invest it in communities across the whole of the UK.
Felix runs seven depots across London, Liverpool, Ipswich and Southampton. Its 16 independent network partners manage a further 28 depots across the UK. It gets food to 1.5M people a year via more than 8,200 organisations across the UK, from Inverness to St. Ives and 76% of those have been able to feed more people in the last 12 months as a result of receiving that surplus food.
One example is St Matthews Pantry in Thatto Heath, St Helens They receive food from Felix Merseyside and use it to offer two services a week. The pantry gives people around £40 pounds of shopping for a weekly membership of £5. Sam O’Keeffe is the pantry lead and says: “Quite simply without Felix we would not be able to offer the range and quality of food we do, to the people that need it. We would most likely have to close or drastically cut our service and the number of people we support. The pantry feeds around 150 households a week and I know what a difference it makes so not being here is just not an option.”
Rob is one of those many pantry users who agrees, he recently had to take time off work due to illness and although he is now back at work part time, his situation is still a challenge. He said: “I never thought I would need to rely on pantry, but without St Matthews I am not sure where my family and I would be. It has seen us through some very difficult times and ensured I have food in the house to feed my child. We get a huge range of fresh and healthy options for a fraction of what it costs in the supermarket. It not only has meant we eat, but it also has relieved pressure on our budgets and our stress levels, I cannot put a price on that.
If you would like to find out more or donate, please visit www.felix.org.
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