Last month, Freemasons from Province of Hertfordshire teamed up with Felix to deliver a ‘Felix Fresh’ event in Watford as part of their Community Fund partnership.

‘Felix Fresh’ is Felix’s pop-up market where surplus produce is offered for free to local communities. Open to everyone, it supports Felix’s environmental mission of preventing good food from going to waste.

On average, these markets redistribute up to five tonnes of food in less than two hours. Supported by local community organisations and their volunteers, they are a brilliant way to engage communities in Felix’s mission to rescue more food and fuel fuller lives.

This partnership between Hertfordshire Freemasons and Felix is part of a Community Fund project. The Community Fund programme was established to support the United Grand Lodge of England’s community engagement strategic pillar and helps Provinces develop meaningful relationships with organisations working to address local needs.

The Freemasons’ Charity has allocated £2 million a year to this initiative for the next five years. So far this year, 26 charities across England and Wales, including Felix, have received a total share of £1.6 million following the first round of applications to the Freemasons’ Charity’s Community Fund.

The ‘Felix Fresh’ event in June perfectly demonstrated the purpose of the Community Fund by combining funding with volunteering and community engagement. Felix staff members were joined by representatives from Hertfordshire Freemasons, the Grand Secretary, the Chief Executive of the Freemasons’ Charity and many staff members of the charity, who all came together to support distribution on the day.

The Freemasons’ Charity looks forward to funding more projects like this in the future, benefiting communities across England and Wales.

If you have any questions regarding the Community Fund programme, please contact the Charity Grants Team at charitygrants@freemasonscharity.org.uk.