Bestway calls for more support for Felix Project

Bestway Wholesale has called for more support for its charity partner Felix Project which collects fresh, nutritious food that cannot be sold, and delivers this surplus food to charities and schools.

“The Felix Project is an invaluable charity providing nutritious food to those in need, and we applaud what they are doing now more than ever, when so many vulnerable people are in need of food that they aren’t in a position to buy,” commented Dawood Pervez, managing director of Bestway Wholesale.

Bestway began supplying surplus stock and much-needed supplies to the Felix Project in February last year. The company has been able to deliver two pallets of much needed fruit and vegetables to the charity and vital supplies of Flora, Kerrymaid and Cream in catering pack sizes during the coronavirus outbreak.

“In a normal week, we provide approximately three pallets of surplus stock to the Felix Project; surplus caused by damages, short dates or broken packaging and despite availability challenges of our own, we have continued to donate food throughout the coronavirus outbreak because we see this as our ethical duty to support those in need,” Pervez said.

Volunteers for the Felix Project have also been vegetable-picking on farms to help provide vital fresh foods.

Mark Curtin, chief executive of the Felix Project, said: “Over the past few weeks we have tripled the amount of food we send out across London to help people in need. We even set a record for us by redistributing 44 tonnes of food in one day.

“We still rescue surplus food from wholesalers and deliver it direct to food banks, schools, and other charities. But during this COVID-19 crisis, we are also delivering large quantities of food into new emergency food hubs, delivering to hospitals, and delivering hot meals from restaurants. Our food is also being cooked into meals and delivered direct to people’s doors, by both food hubs and local charities.

“We are doing all we can to respond to this crisis, to help the most vulnerable get food and make sure no one is left behind. But we need help to reach as many people as possible. A £30 donation will deliver 165 meals for people in desperate need.”

Pervez added: “We need to stick together now and collaborate across businesses and charities to keep the nation fed. We will continue to support the Felix Project and similar charities where we can, because in today’s world it is not right that anyone should go hungry whilst there is food in the supply chain.”