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.
The program is an affiliate of the Hare Krishna Food for Life global charity which is the world’s largest vegetarian food distribution program, serving millions of meals daily, with projects in over 60 countries. 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.
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 said, “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.”
