Maximus Foundation UK, the not-for-profit arm of Maximus, has awarded a grant of £2,500 to The Felix Project to continue its work to tackle food waste and provide food to those struggling with food poverty.

The London charity collects fresh, nutritious food that cannot be sold, delivering it to charities and schools so they can provide healthy meals to the most vulnerable in society.

According to The Food Foundation, 2.6 million children in the UK live in households that struggle to afford to buy enough fruit, vegetables, fish and other healthy foods. In 2020, The Felix Project provided food for 21.1 million meals, and their operation is growing rapidly.

Maximus’ Social Value Manager Fatima Iqbal, nominated the charity for the donation, after recently volunteering at The Felix Project as part of Maximus’ colleague Volunteering Scheme. Fatima was one of 30 Maximus employees who joined their kitchen staff to prepare and package meals for distribution.

The donation forms part of the Foundation’s latest round of dedicated fundraising to help local charities nationwide. The grant was awarded via a virtual cheque presentation by a Maximus Foundation trustee. Maximus Foundation UK has awarded grant beneficiaries totalling £542,000 since 2015.

Charis Green, Chair of the Maximus Foundation, said: “We applaud UK charities whose work changes lives through campaigning, fundraising and support. So, we’re delighted to help The Felix Project to continue its amazing work tackling food waste and providing food to those that need it most.”

Lucy Eaglesome, Senior Corporate Partnerships Officer at The Felix Project, said: “After having close to 100 amazing volunteers from Maximus support The Felix Project since 2021, we were absolutely thrilled to now receive an incredibly generous grant.

“A donation of £2,500 will allow The Felix Project to redistribute the equivalent of 6,250 meals to those across London struggling with food poverty or food insecurity. This is 6,250 people who now know where their next meal is coming from, thanks to Maximus. We cannot thank Maximus enough for their ongoing support, and especially with this amazing donation.”