A new food redistribution hub, The Big Heart Food Hub, has opened in Barking, east London, with the goal of delivering up to 10 tons of food to charities and food banks each week. This initiative aims to support over 20 local organizations assisting residents facing rising living costs. The majority of the food distributed will be unsold items that would otherwise be discarded.
The hub is a collaborative effort involving Barking and Dagenham Council, The Kindness Offensive, Food for All, Felix, City Harvest, and Kingsley Hall. Felix, a charity focused on redistributing surplus food from businesses, plays a key role in collecting items to prevent them from going to waste.
"We are a stepping stone, a middle ground between some of the big suppliers and some of the community-facing groups, to give them the supplies that they need," said David Goodfellow, a manager at Big Heart and co-founder of The Kindness Offensive. He noted that many people are currently experiencing hunger.
Charities like Darul Ummah Goresbrook community centre, which runs a food club for financially struggling individuals, will receive food from the hub. "If we can help them with food, it means that they will have more money to pay their bills," said Sana Sajid, who manages the food club. "It makes a big difference."
According to Trust for London, food insecurity has risen by 23% between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Saima Ashraf, deputy leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, emphasized the focus on delivering "surplus good food" through partnerships.
Beyond food distribution, the partnership intends for the Big Heart hub to eventually offer volunteering opportunities, training, and development programs. "We want to create jobs out of it and teach people how to cook with the food that they get," explained Nathan Grady, charity food coordinator. The aim is to equip individuals with culinary skills, moving beyond simple food provision.
