The Chelsea rightback joined our charity partner’s founder Justin Byam Shaw in a Felix Venture van to choose up luxurious meals and ingredients from Fortnum & Mason to provide to homeless shelters.
The iconic London grocer handed around warm soups, refreshing veggies, mince pies, sandwiches and components for a total Christmas evening meal.
One particular doorwoman, dressed in the standard Fortnum’s red suit, joked “these genuinely ain’t light” as she served to have hundreds of lbs . worth of merchandise into the van.
Mr James and Mr Byam Shaw then drove to two homeless shelters in central London to deliver the foods for their Christmas dinners.
The first, Glass Doorway in Victoria, experienced its team lined up outdoors to greet the delivery. Its founder mentioned that all 44 beds in the hostel were crammed on this specifically difficult Xmas.
The Operations Manager at Glass Doorway said: “Support from The Felix Undertaking this winter season has been invaluable. They have been our major foodstuff supplier to our new hostel support for the duration of this period of time, delivering more than 6,000 meals to our attendees, which handles all around 70% of the total foodstuff requirements in this challenge.
“When a individual being with Glass Door no for a longer period has to imagine about exactly where their future meal is coming from, they can focus on using the simple actions wanted to shift over and above homelessness.”
One of the charity’s founders, Bruce Marquart, said: “We are fighting two wars at the similar time. One towards homelessness and one in opposition to this awful virus.”
A visitor being at Glass Door claimed: “[The] foodstuff is incredible, tasty and refreshing. I come to feel blessed owning tonight’s meal in spite of the present-day pandemic restrictions. I am continue to ready to take pleasure in this great meal.”
The England footballer then drove on to Glimpse In advance hostel in Vauxhall, where by he handed over the rest of the Xmas trimmings, cakes and clean vegetables – gratefully recognized by the hostel’s night time supervisor.
Mr Byam Shaw claimed: “Just four several years in the past, we expended Christmas Eve driving across London in our only Felix Venture van. Now we have 27 vans and 1,000 volunteers driving across the entire of London redistributing surplus food items to these who poorly need it.
“I’m very grateful to spokespeople like Reece James who aid us distribute the phrase that so significantly even now demands to be accomplished and we will need support to do it. “
A different organisation that has donated a large sum of fresh new meals to The Felix Job and the Evening Standard’s Xmas appeal is Lazeez Tapas.
The Mayfair Lebanese cafe has supported the Felix Project for five decades, and very last evening gave 500 meals of rice and vegetable curry to be dispersed to the homeless, refugees and having difficulties families.
Its founder Emilio Malik reported: “We can all make a change if we consider and make a adjust by delivering food to tackle the problems we facial area in these tricky moments.”
Mr James explained: “It was great to commit Christmas Eve volunteering with The Felix Venture and Evening Common. This has been a difficult year and at Xmas I want to use my system to support all those who have experienced most.”
“The smiles I noticed on the faces of the charities’ clientele at the refreshing food from Fortnum’s manufactured it all worth it.”