Historic Pan Livery collaboration for London
The Livery Food Initiative (LFI) was founded in 2022 by the Livery Charity Chairs Group (LCCG). The LFI committed to a three-year programme to address food poverty across London.
The LFI has involved participation from 72 Livery Companies and Guilds , the largest collaboration of its kind. Together they have rasied £600,000 to support City Harvest in the following ways:
- 2023: £190,000 raised to fund a food delivery van for three years.
- 2024: £270,000 raised to fund a 7.5 tonne food rescue truck to collect surplus fresh food nationwide.
- 2025: £140,000 raised to help fund City Harvest’s new rescue site at New Covent Garden Market.
Together these projects have provided over 2 million meals to vulnerable communities in London.
Beyond raising funds, liverymen have:
- Volunteered their time in the City Harvest warehouses
- Made valuable introductions to unlock new partnerships
- Hosted events at landmark venues to raise awareness, including Old Bailey, Drapers Hall, Glaziers’ Hall, Vinters’ Hall and Innholders Hall.
- Supported City Harvest to secure St Paul’s Catherdral & Southwark Cathedral for Harvest Festival Services.
“We know that food poverty is now even worse than when we started the Livery Food Initiative at the end of 2022. If your Livery Charity is able to continue to support City Harvest directly, we would urge you to do so.”
The Livery Food Initiative, Legacy Programme
Despite the considerable progress made by City Harvest and the Livery Food Initiative (LFI), the UK continues to face a food poverty crisis. There are 2 million people in London, including approximately 426,000 children, facing food poverty. Sadly, food poverty is the new normal, and the work of City Harvest remains urgent.
Whilst the Livery Food Initiative’s (LFI) three-year programme has come to an end, the Livery Charity Chairs Group would encourage Livery Companies to continue directly supporting City Harvest through financial contributions, volunteering, and introductions.
To help City Harvest continue to tackle the food poverty crisis in London, please contact: Donna Beetham, Head of Fundraising
The history of the Liveries of London & City Harvest
The Livery Kitchen Initiative was launched during the early Covid-19 pandemic, using livery kitchens to provide meals for the NHS and vulnerable groups in East London. This collaboration included supporting City Harvest and led to the creation of the Livery Food Initiative, founded in 2022 by the Livery Charity Chairs Group. This is documented in the video above, showing the full timeline of the livery relationship with City Harvest.
London continues to face a humanitarian crisis. Food poverty affects 25% of people in the capital, with 1 in 4 children unable to access nutritious food.
The Livery Food Initiative van is a symbol of the emergency we are facing in London.
March 2023 – Feb 2024 the LFI van has transported 923 tonnes of food, which equals 2,197,926 meals. Read more.
In December 2022 the Livery Charity Chairs group formed a pan Livery company initiative to collaborate to help tackle food poverty with City Harvest, exactly 3 months later, the Lord Mayor presented the keys to City Harvest chairman, Stephen Winningham. (Above: City AM photo story: 6 March 2023, The Lord Mayor, Alderman Nicholas Lyons gives the keys to the new City Harvest van to City Harvest Chair and Co-Founder Steve Winningham in front of Mansion House, Walbrook.)
LFI Success – Truck
Since October 2023, The Livery Food Initiative has raised over £125,000 to support a City Harvest 7.5 tonne truck, collecting food from around the country to avoid waste & deliver free food to the 25% of our population unable to afford food. We need another £145,000 to keep the truck on the road for 3 years.
City Harvest vans deliver free nutritious food for 1.2 million meals a month to 375+ charities and groups across London. In a time where children are denied free school meals and families cannot afford to eat at home, this van is a symbol of the humanitarian crisis we are facing.
The LFI Truck will collect 520 tons of food a year and ensure City Harvest can make significant inroads into their waiting list of needy charities – food and logistics are the biggest barriers right now.
City Harvest’s rate of enquiries rises every day, with more families struggling with the relentless rise in the cost of living. The fastest area of need are those households which find themselves £30/£40 a week short – there are over 1 million, 25% of Londoners, using foodbanks today – and 20% nationally facing food insecurity. These are employed people whose minimum wage jobs cannot cover basic household expenses. See photos & read more
LFI News
Lord Mayor launches Livery Food Initiative food rescue truck
The Lord Mayor launches City Harvest’s 7.5-tonne food rescue truck, funded by pan-livery group, Livery Food Initiative.
The Fruiterers support City Harvest London
The Fruiterers’, part of the Livery Food Initiative supporting food rescue charity, City Harvest, give out apples in support of the London charity on the Lord Mayor’s City Giving Day, October 2023.
Livery Food Initiative Delivers Meals to Charities Across London
Hilary Lindsay and Denise Fellows from the Livery Food Initiative deliver food to London charities with Jose from City Harvest.
A huge thank you and congratulations to Elena Oderstone from the Worshipful Company of Fuellers who reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro raising money for City Harvest. An incredible acheivement.
“This van will change people’s lives, offering reliable support and delivering hope in a very bleak time for so many.”
History of the Livery Companies and City Harvest
During Lockdown, the Livery Companies supported people facing food poverty across London by making meals for City Harvest to distribute via the Livery Kitchen Initiative. The Livery Food Initiative continues the relationship by providing funding to keep City Harvest vans running.
