Just before Christmas 2022, The Felix Project approached our team with an urgent request. The London food redistribution charity needed additional freezer capacity to accept more food and support its community partners over the festive period.
Our team, operating as CRS at the time and now part of Coolworld, worked at short notice to install a double Mega freezer unit with space for up to 26 additional pallets of food.
For us, the installation was about more than providing equipment. It was about supporting the people working hard to get good food to those who needed it.
The Felix Project rescues surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributes it through charities, schools and community organisations.
Its work connects food businesses with local groups supporting people facing food insecurity. Behind every delivery are staff and volunteers helping families, older people, people experiencing homelessness and others in their communities.
In 2022, the charity was supplying more than 1,000 charities and schools across London. Having enough storage capacity was an important part of being able to accept food when it became available and get it to those organisations.
The Felix Project recognised more food could be saved if they increase their freezer capacity, including the organisations they distribute to. In December 2022, The Felix Project was able to make this idea a reality after receiving a donation from His Majesty The King, the Prince of Wales Charitable fund and a consortium of other funders.
This unique initiative, managed by The Felix Project and supported by other charity partners, is working to provide 800 community groups across the UK with a fridge or freezer. The units will enable the charities to take more frozen or fresh food, keep it for longer and ultimately feed more people facing hunger. The idea should also result in less food going to waste.
In December 2022, funding from His Majesty The King, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund and other supporters helped launch an initiative to provide fridges and freezers to more than 800 food banks and community organisations across the UK.
The aim was practical: give organisations the storage capacity to accept more fresh and frozen food and make better use of the supplies available to them.
Additional capacity at The Felix Project would support that wider ambition, helping the charity handle greater volumes of food.
With Christmas approaching, the team needed a solution quickly.
We supplied and installed a double Mega freezer unit at The Felix Project’s West London site, providing room for up to 26 additional pallets. Our team worked closely with the charity to meet its demanding festive deadline and have the equipment in place before Christmas.
The following January, The Felix Project reported that its frozen food volumes had doubled compared with January 2022.
That increase reflected the charity’s work and the support behind it. We were pleased to contribute the additional storage capacity that helped make it possible.
For Les Golden, Head of Food Supply at The Felix Project, the way our team approached the installation mattered just as much as the freezer itself.
Reflecting on the project, when our team operated under Coolworld name, he said:
“CRS service was excellent both from a product and people perspective. Their technical skill is highly evident, and they went well beyond the call of duty to work to meet our extremely demanding deadlines during the festive season! In fact, they were friendly and accommodating every time we asked for or needed anything.”
Les Golden, Head of Food Supply, The Felix Project
That feedback captures what people first means to us at Coolworld: listening, understanding the pressures someone is facing and following through with practical help.
Reliable cold storage plays a supporting role in a much bigger effort. For The Felix Project, additional freezer space meant more room for food destined for communities across London.
We were proud to support its staff, volunteers and community partners. Their commitment is what turns surplus food into something valuable for the people receiving it.
For businesses across the food industry, there are opportunities to help through surplus food, fundraising, time and expertise. Visit The Felix Project’s website to explore how your organisation could get involved.
If your organisation needs additional chilled or frozen storage, our team is here to listen and help you find a suitable solution.