100,000 meals delivered! | #FeedYourCommunity

In March 2020, we launched the #FeedYourCommunity initiative to help support key workers, vulnerable communities, and our vendor partners, who were all experiencing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the project has delivered over 100,000 meals!

When the COVID-19 pandemic initially hit the UK and the country went into lockdown, we knew that we needed to do something to help the people affected by it. So, we set up #FeedYourCommunity to provide meals to people who needed them. Using donations from our generous customers, we were able to send business to our vendor partners, empowering them to create delicious food for a great cause.

Sands Catering is one of those vendor partners and has played an integral role in the project, making over 16,000 meals for NHS hospitals, food banks and shelters across London.

"The #FeedYourCommunity meal deliveries have been the most wonderful lifeline throughout the past year.
For us here at Sands Catering the scheme has helped us enormously to keep the wheels of our business turning whilst in the knowledge that we have in our own small way contributed something really positive to helping our community", says Mireille from Sands Catering.

So, whether it's a pick-me-up for those working tirelessly in NHS hospitals or meals for people who are struggling to get food on the table during a particularly challenging time, #FeedYourCommunity is there to help.

Since March 2020, we've worked with 45 restaurants, caterers, and food businesses to deliver meals and sweet treats to over 100 organisations, charities, and shelters around London. And we're not stopping at 100,000 meals - there's still plenty more to come.

Read on to find out more about just some of the organisations and charities #FeedYourCommunity has supported over the past 12 months.

Albrighton Community Centre - Community Fridge

The Albrighton Community Centre is based in South London and provides a variety of community services and activities for local residents. Before the pandemic, the centre ran a number of weekly activities for the local community. The centre has also set up the Albrighton Community Fridge to reduce food waste among local retailers, while supporting the community by providing food at no charge.

"We cannot even begin to thank Just Eat for Business, their vendor partners and generous customers enough for the continued support they have shown us in providing literally thousands upon thousands of hot meals over the last year. Many of those using our service are in desperate need and a nutritious hot meal is a luxury. We have all been overwhelmed by the generosity of Just Eat for Business and everyone else involved in the #FeedYourCommunity project."

Clockhouse Community Centre

Similar to Albrighton, the Clockhouse Community Centre is a hub for the local community in Woolwhich Dockyard, offering a warm, welcome space for local residents to access services and support. Since April 2020, the centre has been operating its own free food hub, which provides food for the most vulnerable and socially isolated local residents.

"The involvement and generosity of Just Eat for Business, Virtu Financial, and Sands Catering has been hugely important to the Clockhouse. The food we receive is of very high quality and the dishes you provide reflect the varied and different cultural groups the Clockhouse work with. We are immensely grateful and thankful to everyone involved for their kindness."

You can read more about the Clockhouse Community Centre here.

Mission Kitchen - Mission Meals

Mission Kitchen creates commercial kitchens and workspaces built to help small food businesses grow. In response to the pandemic, the team set up Mission Meals to support caterers and small restaurants hit hard by lockdown measures, while also helping to feed people experiencing financial hardship.

Since October 2020, Just Eat for Business has been helping Mission Meals to deliver meals from caterers' kitchens to schools.

"Just Eat for Business has helped us deliver nearly 40,000 meals to people plunged into food poverty. They have been an essential part of our school deliveries, providing us with a van and wonderful driver each week, delivering fresh nutritious meals for children and families around London. We can't thank Just Eat for Business enough!"

Find out more about Mission Kitchen here.

NHS Hospitals

There's no doubt that this year has been particularly tough for NHS staff, who have been working tirelessly to care for people night and day. So, throughout the pandemic, we've been delivering meals and sweet treats to over a dozen hospitals around London, bringing a little joy to the hard-working staff during their busy days. So far, we've delivered over 50,000 meals to them!

"Since December 2020, we received a delivery of food (organised by Just Eat for Business) from various caterers which the staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich Intensive Care Unit are immensely appreciative of and grateful for. Such a delivery is a welcomed surprise as our staff are in full PPE throughout the day and to be able to offer such delicious food, is a great morale booster and of course shows our staff how valued and appreciated they are."  - Julia, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

North London Action for the Homeless

North London Action for the Homeless (NLAH) is a charity that offers a drop-in centre open to people who are experiencing homelessness. As well as providing nutritious, vegetarian meals year-round, NLAH also aims to provide a sense of community to people who feel isolated.

"The past year has been very challenging for our guests. As a homeless charity we had to adapt quickly and change our services from offering sit-down meals to take-away meals. Receiving regular donations from Just Eat for Business has been really helpful as not only have they provided tasty hot meals to our guests but also allowed us to have the extra time to support our guests with other issues. Just Eat for Business has also been providing items for our food bank which has been a great help especially for rough sleepers and people in insecure housing who don’t have access to cooking facilities."

The Whitechapel Mission

Last but not least, the Whitechapel Mission offers a day centre, skills training and career advice to people experiencing homelessness and marginalisation. The organisation, which has been running for 145 years, provides free meals to guests and has continued running its essential services throughout the pandemic.

"#FeedYourCommunity has been a fantastic support in providing additional meals, the nutritious lunches have kept the people we serve sustained."

Learn more about the Whitechapel Mission from our recent interview with Sue.

If your company would like to get involved with our #FeedYourCommunity project by donating meals to the cause, please get in touch with your account manager or email foodguru@citypantry.com to get started. Thank you.