When there is a major emergency in London, the response needs to be quick, coordinated and effective. Yet it is just as vital for community organisations and charities to be prepared and build resilience.
In this blog we look at how the London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) supported The Felix Project to develop and sustain vital connections so that when challenges arose, they were better prepared to respond.
The challenge
In the winter of 2022/2023, LCEP was in its infancy. London Plus and VCS Emergencies Partnership had joined forces to create LCEP and co-chair the partnership in December 2022, with the support of City Bridge Trust, London Councils and the Greater London Authority.
LCEP supports charities and community groups to prepare for, coordinate and respond to emergencies in London.
It was at this time that LCEP was contacted by The Felix Project. The charity fights food waste and hunger in London, collecting surplus food from the food industry and delivering it to charities and schools across the capital.
Behind The Felix Project is a small army of dedicated individuals who give their time to a cause they believe in. However, many of these take a well-deserved break during winter. The Felix Project reached out because they were facing an influx of surplus food donations over the festive period, but a lack of volunteer drivers to deliver it.
The response
Building connections is what we do. Because LCEP is a strong network, we were able to support the Felix Project as they faced this challenge.
We spread the word to all of our networks. Promoting the volunteer role at the Felix Project far and wide, we were able to connect organisations and individuals to an important cause. The result? A huge amount of sign-ups of volunteer drivers.
Learning from year one
After the winter of 2022/23, we reflected on our response. Even though we had successfully supported The Felix Project to build connections and recruit volunteers, there was more we could do.
One issue we found was that volunteer sign-ups were not always qualified to be delivery drivers. This kind of volunteering requires additional checks and more management.
How could we tackle this? One way was to be proactive rather than reactive. We introduced The Felix Project to key contacts at British Red Cross (BRC), and REACT, the disaster response charity. By facilitating a meeting to come together and discuss the challenges The Felix Project were facing, they established memorandums of understanding so that in the future, they could work together effectively.
Seeing results
In the winter of 2023/24, The Felix Project were able to harness their new partnership working with British Red Cross and REACT. The result was The Felix Project using their first British Red Cross volunteer driver.
Ultimately, The Felix Project was able to deliver food to those who needed it over the winter of 2023/24. This is an amazing outcome and one that may not have been possible without LCEP. Additionally, British Red Cross and REACT may be able to improve volunteer retention, as their volunteer drivers have more opportunities to get involved and stay engaged. Everyone benefits from being connected.
Looking to the future
LCEP is a unique partnership. All year round, we support London charities and community groups like The Felix Project to build resilience and prepare for future scenarios. We are empowering organisations to learn lessons, together, as a network of vital connections.
The Felix Project is a story that shows how this happens, over a sustained period of time. By connecting The Felix Project to the right people, LCEP was able to strategically support the charity to solve a problem.
Thank you to everyone involved in LCEP for making this network so powerful. Together we can keep tackling challenges to make London a more resilience city in the future.
