What if your next corporate gift could help feed a family, reduce food waste, and support a local community, all at the same time?
We believe that gifting should leave a mark. A meaningful one. From day one, we’ve been committed to creating moments of connection through gifts that feel personal, thoughtful, and purposeful.
Now, we’re taking that purpose even further. We’re proud to announce our new charity partnership with City Harvest London, a remarkable food charity that rescues surplus food and redistributes it to those experiencing food poverty across the capital.
This isn’t about charity for charity’s sake. Together, we’re building a gifting experience that not only supports your people but also helps feed thousands of others in need.
Meet City Harvest: Rescuing Food, People & Planet
Founded in 2014, City Harvest London is the capital’s first food redistribution charity.
Their mission is simple but powerful: rescue nutritious surplus food and deliver it, for free, to people who need it most. From farms and wholesalers to supermarkets and restaurants, City Harvest collects edible food that would otherwise go to waste and redirects it to over 350 charities supporting more than 130,000 people each week.
This includes food banks, domestic abuse refuges, youth centres, homeless shelters, mental health charities, and more, organisations working on the frontline of food poverty.
This mission is about rescuing food, people, and the planet. By diverting food from landfill, they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment. By supporting struggling communities, they provide nourishment, dignity, and hope. And by creating a smarter, more sustainable food system, they’re helping build a better future for everyone.
With over 70 million meals delivered to date and a growing network of donors, volunteers, and partners, City Harvest is proving that food waste is one of the greatest opportunities we have to drive social and environmental change.
Why City Harvest Matters Now More Than Ever
In today’s Britain, food poverty is rising at an alarming rate. The cost of living crisis continues to put pressure on families, individuals, and the services that support them. Meanwhile, millions of tonnes of perfectly good food are wasted every year.
Right now, City Harvest are distributing the equivalent of over 1.3 million meals every month, and the demand is still growing. The people they help include vulnerable children, refugees, elderly residents, survivors of domestic violence, and those facing homelessness or mental health challenges.
Their team are creating a blueprint for lasting change.
By connecting surplus food with local communities in need, City Harvest is helping to:
- Reduce food waste at scale
- Combat hunger across London’s most deprived areas
- Lower carbon emissions linked to landfill and food production
- Support over 375 frontline organisations doing vital social work
It’s a solution that’s both human and environmental, driven by compassion, efficiency, and urgency. In a world where resources are stretched and inequalities are widening, this kind of work couldn’t be more necessary.
How It Works: Rescuing Food, Delivering Impact
City Harvest operates with efficiency and heart. Here’s how it works:
- Food is rescued from across the supply chain – farms, manufacturers, wholesalers, supermarkets, restaurants, and other food businesses. This includes fresh produce, prepared meals, dairy, baked goods, and more.
- City Harvest’s fleet of vans, including their new 26-tonne truck, collects and delivers this food every day to community partners across London and beyond.
- Charities and community groups receive this food at no cost, enabling them to focus their limited resources on support services, outreach, and care.
What makes City Harvest especially unique is the scale and speed of their work. With depots strategically located across West, East, and South London, they can move quickly to rescue fresh food that might otherwise be wasted.
Every £1 donated to City Harvest generates £12 in social return on investment, supporting public health, reducing emissions, and strengthening community infrastructure. It’s a rare win-win-win, for people, for businesses, and for the planet.
A Track Record of Impact
Since launching in 2014 with a single van and a mission to make good use of good food, their journey has been defined by innovation, action, and impact.
Here are just a few highlights:
- 2014 – City Harvest is co-founded and begins collecting food from Nando’s and Whole Foods Market.
- 2017 – Becomes a first responder to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, delivering emergency food and supplies.
- 2020 – During COVID-19 lockdowns, they triple their food distribution overnight to support a nation in crisis.
- 2021 – Reach their 20 millionth meal, launch the City Harvest Food Council, and rebrand with a bold new vision: Rescuing Food, People & Planet.
- 2023 – Launch major reports on food poverty, partner with iconic institutions like The Old Vic and London Lions, and deliver their 60 millionth meal.
- 2024 – Win national content awards, publish new impact reports on sustainability and wellbeing, and break a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ for most ready-made meals prepared in 24 hours.
This is a charity that consistently steps up, whether that means responding to emergencies, partnering with brands to scale impact, or championing sustainability at policy level.
They’ve also aligned their work with nine of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, proving that food rescue is a powerful lever for global progress, from ending hunger and reducing inequality to protecting the climate.
City Harvest’s story is a testament to what’s possible when purpose, community, and innovation come together. And at WellBox, we’re honoured to play a small part in that bigger picture.
Why WellBox Chose City Harvest
We’ve always prioritised partners and suppliers who care about purpose as much as product. When we discovered City Harvest, the alignment was immediate.
We chose City Harvest because their mission mirrors our own: to create meaningful connections that leave a lasting impact.
Here’s what stood out to us:
- Shared values. Like WellBox, City Harvest is built on compassion, community, and the belief that small, thoughtful actions can drive real change.
- Tangible impact. Every gift we send can help support their work, feeding people, fighting waste, and protecting the planet.
- A smarter way to give back. City Harvest combines operational excellence with deep social purpose. Their logistics, partnerships, and reporting show how good intentions can be turned into real-world results.
We know our clients care about the impact their gifts make, and now, with every WellBox purchase, there’s an opportunity to be part of something bigger. Together with City Harvest, we’re creating a more conscious, connected gifting experience, one that supports both your people and the wider community.
The best gifts feel good and do good, in equal measure!
Turn Corporate Gifting into a Force for Good
Download our Impact Report:
Inside, you’ll find:
- How your gifts are helping fight food poverty
- Meals delivered and waste diverted through our charities
- Real stories of impact from our community partners
- The power of gifting with purpose, not just products
