Organising Food For London
OFFL's Motto:
"Let your courage and kindness make a vulnerable person or family believe that there is a future for them in a just society"
Organising Food For London (OFFL) was co-founded 16 years ago by Hiroo Chothia, Ajay Gokani & Nirav Khiroya. Initially, our aim was to strive to support the homeless in London, through nutritious meals, clothing and support each week. However, since the recent pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis has had a devastating impact on many people’s lives in the UK, we have extended our remit to include the elderly, vulnerable individuals and families by providing fresh and ambient foods on a weekly basis.
1. Our Work With The Homeless
Sleeping rough on the streets is frightening, demoralising and isolating. Most of the homeless that we deal with have fallen through various social safety nets. The harsh reality of life on the streets, in one of the most expensive cities and country in the world, means they are often overlooked by society. Unfortunately, there are a record number of people who find themselves homeless, due to the impact of the cost of living crisis - with over 4,068 recorded by outreach teams in London alone between July and September 2023. Additionally, and most unfortunately, more than 1,300 people died whilst homeless in 2022, marking an 85% increase since 2019. Whilst there are a number of reasons for deaths associated with homeless people, many are due to exposure to freezing conditions and associated illnesses, such as respiratory problems. The most common age of mortality for the homeless is in the 36-55 year age bracket. This is in stark contrast to the UK’s average life expectancy of 80 years old. Each week, for the last 16 years, we have provided a hot meal, sandwiches, fruit and other nutritious and non-perishable foods as well as hot coffee and cakes to almost 100 individuals in Central London. Many of these individuals are rough sleepers and even those who have been fortunate enough to be given a temporary bed in a hostel, they often lack cooking facilities or the funds to buy food items. In addition to the weekly meals, we provide essential clothing and toiletry items, during the coldest winter months. These include a set of warm clothes (hats, socks, gloves, scarfs, warm underclothes, t-shirts and hoodies), blankets and toiletries. For many of the homeless, this is a very lonely time of year and often the only thing they will receive to see them through the very cold winter months on the street. Last year alone, we assisted over 700 homeless individuals with winter essentials across the UK.
2. Assisting The Elderly and Vulnerable Families
The recent pandemic and the subsequent cost of living crisis has really highlighted the devastating impact on the elderly as well as many vulnerable families. We support them with nutritious fresh produce as well as daily ambient food staples, given that most of them are struggling with difficult financial choices and multiple inequalities. This is backed up by research from the Food Foundation whose recent report “Broken Plate” confirms that rising costs not reflected in state benefits, are making the barest essentials unmanageable for the poorest in society, whether they be the elderly or vulnerable families. We achieve our aims through our existing network of foodbanks and charitable organisations, who serve vulnerable people and families, in some of the most deprived areas of the UK. In addition, to our weekly food run for the homeless in Central London, we work with satellite units in partner organisations, across Central, West and South East London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Middlesex, Lancashire & Merseyside, to meet the needs of the homeless as well as vulnerable families. We are very keen to ensure surplus food is not wasted and wherever possible aim to utilise produce from supermarket stores and community groups. All our efforts, whether they be weekly food items or the Winter Clothing bags are through donations from sponsors, as well as like-minded and selfless individuals, who want to help those less well off than themselves.
