It’s King Charles’s 75th birthday today and, as part of the celebrations, he’s launched a venture to help mitigate the growing national crisis of food poverty, the King’s Coronation Food Project.
In a birthday interview with the Big Issue, he voices his concerns about cost of living pressures, lamenting the fact that so many families and individuals are missing out on nutritious meals. Referring to the millions of tonnes of food that go to waste, he commits his project to creating a lasting legacy to help others – and help the planet.
With his initiative’s ambitions chiming so well with the work of Exeter Food Action over the last twelve years, his voice is undoubtedly a welcome addition to those of the many organisations challenging food poverty and waste. It doesn’t get much better than having the King of the Land helping to raise awareness and committing resources to the work in which we and so many others are engaged.
Baroness Louise Casey, a trustee of the King’s Coronation Food Project, has relevant experience in the field, having been deputy director of Shelter in 1992, and head of the Rough Sleepers’ Unit (RSU) in 1999. She will co-chair the project with Dame Martina Milburn, the former long-time boss of The Prince’s Trust.
After months of consultation and research, Milburn and Casey, supported by a team coordinated by the King Charles III Charitable Fund, have come up with a plan that focuses on establishing ‘super hubs’ across the country, which already has the backing of all political parties.
With the project’s commitment to expanding warehouses, fridges, freezers, vans and drivers, fast tracking the transit of food to communities in need and the considerable resources at its disposal, we’ll be keeping a close eye on developments.
