A chef’s Facebook post seeking volunteers and a kitchen led to 5,000 daily meals at Wembley Stadium and more than 4.5 million free meals for Londoners

A chef’s Facebook post asking for volunteers and a kitchen helped launch a food project that went on to prepare more than 5,000 meals a day at Wembley Stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leon Aarts posted the request days before the UK lockdown, hoping to use surplus food to make 1,000 meals a day for Londoners. The response grew quickly, and about six weeks later, the team was cooking at Wembley.According to Prism the Gift Fund (2025), the project has provided more than 4.5 million free meals to Londoners since 2020. The work involved hundreds of volunteers, chefs and drivers, as well as daily cooking and deliveries.How did the chef turn surplus food into thousands of mealsAarts was originally a fine dining chef and restaurateur. Before the UK lockdown, he was concerned that people could go hungry as jobs were lost and household finances came under pressure. He posted on Facebook asking who would help him use surplus food to cook meals for Londoners. He had set an initial target of 1,000 meals each day.The appeal attracted a rapid response, with people volunteering their time and skills. The project expanded quickly, and six weeks after the post, the team was preparing more than 5,000 meals a day from Wembley Stadium. The effort brought together volunteers, chefs and drivers to prepare and distribute food during the pandemic in the first weeks of the national lockdown period.Role of Prism in setting up the food projectWhen Aarts realised he needed help setting the project up, he approached Prism through a contact, and the fund said it could help. The arrangement was established within two or three days. Aarts chose to operate as a Collective Fund rather than establish a charity independently. He said the arrangement eased the administrative burden on him and his team, allowing them to focus on running the food project.Prism handled invoices and collected donations, while also advising whether proposed spending was appropriate. This allowed Aarts to concentrate on the work he knew best. The fundraising arrangement also enabled the project to use the government’s Gift Aid scheme, increasing the impact of donations made in the UK.What challenges did the project face as it expandedThe project operated seven days a week and involved coordinating hundreds of volunteers, chefs and drivers. Its first kitchen soon became too small, so the Chair of the Football Association offered Wembley Stadium as a new base. The team continued cooking throughout the move. Although surplus food was central to the operation, donations did not cover every ingredient.The organisers needed to raise money for supplies such as tinned tomatoes and rice. They also had to manage kitchen and delivery rotas, maintain social distancing and follow COVID rules. The project faced logistical and staffing challenges, and Aarts said someone tried to steal money from it.How did the initiative grow into a permanent kitchenAarts said the project was never the work of one person. He described his role as starting the effort and bringing people together, while volunteers and partners made it possible to grow. One organisation he worked closely with was The Felix Project, which provides meals for people in London. The charity wanted a permanent kitchen because demand for the work was expected to continue after COVID. Aarts designed and built the kitchen. About 20 members of his core team moved there, and Felix’s Kitchen opened in July 2021. The kitchen brought together Compassion London and The Felix Project. It continues to prepare 4,500 meals a day using surplus food collected by The Felix Project in London.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.