Community Care
it would be a few tins and a few bags of flour,” he says. “I’m pumping and lifting up these big trolleys around the warehouse and this isn’t even the biggest one.” Mark explains: “We went to a local church where they cook food for old-age pensioners so they can have a daily meal… It’s a social thing for people who live on their own or live in sheltered housing. “A women’s refuge was another one we went to in Hackney because again, they have an internal chef, but they’re relying on getting food by working alongside another charity.” The Felix Project also supplies schools with extra fruit. This provides children and families in need with an internal school food bank which they can discreetly go to. “They have food donations within the school which make people feel more comfortable and less like you have to go to a food bank to survive,” Mark explains. Mark also sees the impact of the project, which has even been visited by King Charles, when those who work in nearby Canary Wharf in large banks and other firms will be inspired by their work and put in a shift themselves as part of their company’s giving back initiative. As a result of this, Mark has become a volunteer trainer. KIND TO THE ENVIRONMENT The environmental impact of Mark’s kind work should also not be underestimated as so much of the food that is donated or turned into hot meals is saved from going into landfill. Much of the food used is perfectly edible but is past its supermarket sell-by date. “It’s not just fresh stuff, it’s all the packaging and stuff,” Mark explains. “If you’ve got bags of flour, you know you’re not going to take the flour out – it’s just going to be dumped. Plastic wrapping and everything would just go into the landfill.” Mark gives an example of when a pallet stacked with boxes of cheese assortments as high as him It’s completely blown my mind. Initially, I thought it would be a few tins and a few bags of flour
Felix staff checking warehouse stock
was donated to those in need. “There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. They printed the wrong expiry date on the box, so they couldn’t put it in the supermarkets. We took all the cheese out of the boxes, put them into big boxes, and then they went out, and you just think that’s incredible,” he recalls. THE IMPACT OF KINDNESS In between his Monday to Friday work post-pandemic, Mark now fits in a shift wherever he can and implores those willing and interested to do the same. “We have Christmas parties and all get together,” he says. “Even if you haven’t been there for six months if you can give an hour, it’s time that we really need. Reflecting on the volunteering role he took on one Monday morning three years ago, Mark tells us working with The Felix Project is the most rewarding experience of his life. He says he has noticed an impact “on so many levels in terms of how I feel, the socialising aspect, and then what I’m giving and doing for a community of people that are quite desperate.” Mark concludes: “A lot of people are desperate and you think can a few more people like me get involved and they would never be short on shifts.”
To learn more about The Felix Project, or to register visit: thefelixproject.org
Warehouse staff sorting fresh fruit donations
52
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online