By ISKCON-London Communications
Food for Life London, the food distribution initiative from London’s Hare Krishna Temple, is set to make a milestone this Christmas by introducing the UK’s first fully-electric food van to serve Londoners.
It has been feeding the needy in London for over 25 years. From its base in Soho, Food for Life London relentlessly continued to serve the needy during the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown, remaining to be one of the few charities still providing free food to the homeless in Central London during the restrictions.
Thanks to the efforts of a London-wide community, the team will now be able to serve hundreds with a new electric van launching on 20th December. This will be the UK’s first 100% electric food van with the heartful aim of ending hunger for the homeless. Last summer hundreds of well-wishers joined a 10-mile sponsored walk through iconic sites of Central London, including St Paul’s Cathedral, Hyde Park, the London Eye, the Palace of Westminster and City Hall. They successfully raised £65,000 for a van to aid this tremendous and much-needed service.
Food for Life London’s chief organiser Acytya Charan dasa OBE shares, “When giving out food, we see people from all walks of life; homeless, rough sleepers, and people who are unable to sustain themselves.” During the pandemic we have seen numbers increase dramatically and we aim to reach as many people as possible with our new electric van
Jai Nitai dasa, Radha-Krishna Temple’s President adds, “With homelessness being at a record high in London, the efforts of Food for Life are needed more than ever. We are constantly looking for more ways to make a more profound impact – and with the new ULEZ emissions criteria coming into play, we thought it is a perfect opportunity to raise funds for an electric food van which is 100 percent electric. The Eco-Van will allow us to continue serving the hungry and needy by increasing the number of locations we visit whilst being mindful of the environment.”
In full festive spirit, alongside the launch of the electric food van, the team is aiming to serve 5000 free meals over 10 days across 10 miles during the Christmas period. This activity makes a connection to the very beginnings of the initiative. Run by ISKCON (the International Society of Krishna Consciousness), more commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, Food for Life London was set up to fulfil the instruction of its founder, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, that no one within ten-miles of a Hare Krishna Temple should go hungry. The London branch is run by the Radha-Krishna Temple on Soho Street, W1. Now volunteers will be fulfilling this wish in an eco-friendly way with an electric van alongside fresh nutritious meals.
With homelessness being at a record high in London, Food for Life London is needed more than ever during the current pandemic. Being given the status of ‘frontline workers’, the charity is staffed entirely by volunteers who are braving the challenges of the current risky environment to continue their vital work providing free nutritional meals to the homeless. Throughout the pandemic, the team of volunteers are serving close to 200 hot nutritious meals each day, including curries, pasta, vegetable rice, banana cakes, hot drinks, water bottles, sleeping bags and more.
To make a donation: www.iskcon.london/donate/ffl
KEY EVENT DETAILS
Launch Event on Sunday 20th December, 2pm – 4.30pm GMT
The event will include the journey of the van, a Vedic ceremony, interviews, and messages from special guests.
Join us via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9600044907
Facebook: www.facebook.com/iskconlondon
YouTube: www.youtube.com/iskconlondontv
Food & Book Distribution from 20th to 30th December
Distribute over 5,000 meals and 2,000 books in London to various organisations, shelters and the public.
To volunteer with us, register your interest at https://bit.ly/fflvanlaunch-volunteer