We have never seen so much demand for food. It used to be people in crisis – those suffering domestic violence, homelessness or long-term illness – who came to frontline community charities for food. That still happens but as the cost of living rises, more and more people who work one or even two jobs are struggling at the end of each week or month to afford food. To give you a real example, there’s a nurse who visits one of our London hubs. During the pandemic, she was one of the key workers keeping people alive. But her partner lost his job and they got into debt. Each month, if the family household is struggling, she comes in and pays a small fraction of what she would pay at retail – around a twentieth – to get what she needs for her family. She has the dignity of choice but also access to so much more through the community centre. Her husband, for instance, has built IT skills to support him to get into a job. Their family is being transformed. This is the power of food. It honestly happens all around the country, all the time. 90% of the community organisations who receive food from The Felix Project and FareShare also provide advice on issues like employability, debt, health, immigration, housing and domestic violence. A recent study carried out for us by the University of Hertfordshire shows that every £1 invested in surplus food redistribution generates almost £13 in social value for the UK 9 . Food is the hook to get people through the door so superheroes in the community can address some of the underlying causes of food insecurity. But our charities are asking us for more to keep up with demand, and we have massive waiting lists to join the network right across the country. The problem is that at the moment, surplus is seasonal. Need has traditionally been highest in the winter months as people are paying for more energy to heat their living space.
After the harvest, there is a drop in supply so at that time of the year, there’s not enough food to provide what even our existing charities require. But more food is essential year-round as circumstances today change fast, like last year, we saw an unexpected peak in demand in the school holidays as children weren’t receiving their usual free meals. If we were able to provide more food, more consistently, it would be game changing for our poorest communities. And it is surprisingly straightforward for retailers and manufacturers to help. We have models and maps and best practice to learn from. Please get involved and listen to the people who are doing it already – like Marks & Spencer and Two Sisters – about how easy it is and what an impact it makes on people, communities and workforces. I would love this to just be business as usual. It makes sense commercially: we all want a thriving, prosperous United Kingdom. And, more importantly, if food is available, there is a moral obligation for all of us to make sure it makes it to the table of families in need. We need this to be a cross-sector movement. If everybody gets involved in a meaningful way, we can genuinely make a step change in 2026.”
Charlotte Hill OBE CEO The Felix Project and FareShare
9 FareShare’s Contribution Amidst Challenging Times, 2025
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