Driven to Serve
Portrait Series
A portrait series that celebrates the volunteers, staff, and partners who play a vital role in feeding London. People whose commitment, compassion, and hard work help tackle food waste and hunger across the city.
Marvin Clarke, Driver
Vimal Pandya, Charity recipient - Rotherhithe Community Kitchen
Georgie Edwards, Volunteer Coordinator
Fiona Hollis, Head of Communications
Pam Elena Hutchinson, Volunteer
About the project
City Harvest is part of the fabric of London, where its food redistribution network weaves a vibrant tapestry of community support, sustained by the diverse cultures and walks of life that define London.
The portrait series, City Harvest Unsung Heroes is a celebration of the people who keep London fed, quietly and without applause. A love letter to the ones driving vans at dawn, sorting pallets of surplus food, and showing up with nothing but graft, heart, and grit. These are the connectors, the food rescuers, and the everyday movement transforming our city for the better.
Through this series, we get up a close up of the faces behind City Harvest: the staff, the volunteers, the drivers, and the organisations at the receiving end. This isn’t charity gloss, it’s an archive of spirit. A reminder that London’s survival kits often come in the form of open arms, hard work, and a network of people redistributing surplus food to where it’s most needed. Unsung Heroes frames City Harvest’s community not just as charity workers, but as catalysts of change.
Production Assistant: Cristina Proietti
Production and set design assistant: Fiona Hollis
Creative Direction/Photography: Coralie Ayala
Marvin Clarke
Driver
Marvin is the pulse of the street, driving for City Harvest and himself in equal measure, establishing deeper roots in London’s community. Six years into the role, he remains defined by music, movement, and the pragmatic kindness he inherited from his mum, a “duty of care” that runs in the family.
Trademarks of Marvin’s free and radical spirit include his vinyl collection and his love of skateboarding. The skateboard a nod to freedom: “I like to move all the time” and the vinyl, especially “Let Your Mind Be Free”- a reminder of youth, joy, and the old-school ethos he brings to his everyday life.
For Marvin, City Harvest is “a blossom tree in full bloom”, the living witness of community spirit, spreading kindness across London. “Helping people is intrinsic to me. You don’t have to get paid to care; it’s just how I am. Now I can help on a bigger scale, meeting food hubs, food banks, hostels, so many kinds of people and places. It’s great to give it out for free, and see faces light up because of it. That’s real.” Marvin currently delivers free food to community projects from City Harvest’s south London site at New Covent Garden Market in Battersea.
Fiona Hollis,
Head of Communications
Fiona’s roots run deep at City Harvest working with the founders to scale the charity from £1M to £5M: a connector, campaigner, and creative whose passion for the mission has shaped the charity’s voice and vision.
City Harvest means “everything that matters to me in life” helping people to thrive, giving back, and celebrating the networks of social connection. With a passion for problem solving, heart led initiatives and authenticity, City Harvest provides the richest source of inspiration.
Born in London but raised in SE Asia and US, Fiona, celebrates individuality through art, music, and fashion. Always looking to put people at ease she injects energy and warmth into her work. She sees City Harvest as a living artwork: layered, dynamic, and full of meaning, always growing and proud of its impact. She loves most “working with amazing people who throw everything they have into making good things happen” – a mission she embodies every day.
‘Pam’ Elena Hutchinson
Volunteer
Thursday, she cooks for the whole team; staff, volunteers, and any local community member in need. The kitchen at City Harvest’s Acton HQ is even named after her, in tribute to her years of loving service and legendary meals.
Outside of City Harvest, Pam is a pillar in her west London community, who she treats as extended family. Each week she runs a food bank in her church to support families in need.
Pam’s African attire tells a story about roots and identity: “I love to wear these clothes because they represent my roots. I may be from the Caribbean, but I know my ancestors are from Africa. It’s a part of me.” With her container and trusty wooden spoon, Pam recalls the countless communal meals she’s prepared. “The spoon doesn’t scrape the pot, it’s always gentle—like care should be.
” Cooking is Pam’s language of love and service. “I believe in helping people, no matter who they are, where they’re from. When you give from the heart and expect nothing in return, you’re truly blessed. I’ve always done this for the community, through the church, through City Harvest, for anyone who can’t afford to cook. The more you give, the more you receive.”
Georgie Edwards
Volunteer Coordinator
Georgie radiates energy and warmth in the warehouse, known for being loud, her sunny presence and the voice she lends to those who need to be heard. Her portrait brims with playful meaning: sunflowers for her bright, vivacious spirit, a foghorn for her booming advocacy for social justice, and an apron as signatures of her passion for cooking. “In the kitchen cooking for loved ones is when I’m most myself.”
Georgie treasures family mealtimes and community- the “melting pot” where everyone belongs regardless of background. City Harvest, for Georgie, is home: a “cog in the machine” of collective goodness, a place of comfort and welcome in Acton where she grew up. Growing up in a Yorkshire household, but Acton born and bred, she learned the responsibility to look out for one’s neighbours.
Now, serving the community that raised her, Georgie brings joy and belonging to every shift, celebrating the strength found in coming together: “You never know when you might be the one that needs help, that’s why helping matters, always.”
Vimal Pandya
Charity Recipient, Rotherhithe Community Kitchen
Vimal is the bridge between need and hope in Rotherhithe, running a community kitchen and food bank that serves over 350 families a week.
For Vimal, life is about “creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and cared for”- especially around shared meals and open conversation. Raised with the tradition of “seva” (selfless service) as a Hindu Brahmin, Vimal’s path is guided by the values of community and care.
“City Harvest is a lantern, shining light into dark places and guiding people towards hope and warmth. Helping others is in my blood; my parents taught me, and now I try to pass it on. With City Harvest, I can reach more families and meet the cost of living challenge head-on. Every day, I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back, and for everyone who makes this possible”
Behind the Scenes videos
Coralie Ayala (She/Her)
Visual artist
Coralie Ayala is an award-winning filmmaker, and photographer at City Harvest London, known for pushing creative boundaries and using storytelling to drive social change. Born in Madrid with Colombian roots, she blends cultural insight with visual artistry exploring identity, empathy, and community spirit through every frame. With over sevent years in the creative industry, her journey has spanned multimedia journalism, documentary direction, and visual campaigns for sustainability, human rights, and food justice.
Coralie’s latest work, the ‘Driven to Serve’ portrait series, captures the essential yet often unseen individuals powering London’s food redistribution network, drivers, volunteers, charity partners, and staff whose dedication helps feed thousands daily. This project was born from her desire to celebrate the people she works alongside every day.
Drawing inspiration from Doechii’s “Alligator” album visuals, Coralie infused the series with striking green backdrops, a nod to vitality, growth, and the City Harvest brand identity. This contemporary aesthetic meets the grandeur of classical portraiture with the subjects posed like kings and queens in old master paintings, surrounded by objects that reflect their individuality and purpose. Each photograph is both intimate and symbolic, offering a glimpse into the lives and identity that makes these subjects so special.
Complementing the portrait series, Coralie also directed short video features that bring these unsung heroes to life allowing audiences not just to see them, but to hear their voices and feel their stories. For Coralie, this project is more than creative documentation; it’s a celebration of collective responsibility and the everyday compassion that feeds the most vulnerable in the capital.