Christmas is just around the corner and while you might be busy planning ahead or stocking up for the festive season, there’s one more thing we’d love you to make room for.
Our Reverse Advent Calendar is back, for the eighth year running. This long-standing partnership with Felix, the UK’s leading food redistribution charity, is a simple way to share a few cupboard essentials with those who need them most.
If you’ve taken part before, welcome back! Once your box is ready to go, you can generate your returns label here.
If it’s your first time, you’re in the right place to find out more...
What is the Reverse Advent Calendar?
Traditional advent calendars give you a treat each day, but ours is all about giving back. From 1st-20th December, add a non-perishable food item like pasta, UHT milk or peanut butter to your empty Mindful Chef box (or any box that’s sturdy enough to travel).
Once the box is full, take it to your nearest DPD drop-off point and they’ll send it to Felix, who’ll distribute the food around the UK.
Who are Felix?
Formerly FareShare and The Felix Project, Felix rescue good-to-eat surplus food from the food industry and shares it with more than 8,000 charities and community organisations across the UK. Through its network, they deliver 5 meals every second to 1.5 million people who need them.
How can the Reverse Advent Calendar help?
With over 8.1 million people in the UK facing food insecurity, initiatives like this are more important than ever. Winter can bring added pressures for people already struggling to put food on the table. As Polly Hofmann, Head of Partnerships at Felix, explains:
"In the winter months, when people can be faced with a choice between heating their homes or eating a hot meal, long-life items complement the fresh surplus food we redistribute. This means every item donated via the Reverse Advent Calendar will help to provide a meal for someone facing hardship this winter.”
Since we started, our community has helped collect almost 1,000 tonnes of food – which is more than 2.3 million meals. That's a lot of cupboard essentials making their way to people who need them, and it's all thanks to your generosity.
What do I need to do?
- Add one non-perishable item to your Mindful Chef box each day from the 1st-20th December. It could be a tin at the back of your cupboards or an extra packet you pick up on your weekly food shop.
- Once your box is full, choose where you’d like it to go and click the name to generate your returns QR code. Your donations will be shared with people in that area:
- Come back in December for the area-specific links to generate your returns label
- Take your box to the nearest DPD drop-off point – no printer needed! They’ll take care of the rest.
- Your box goes directly to Felix, who distribute the items to people who need them most. We send the final four days’ worth of food to Felix ourselves, so every calendar is complete.
What should I put in the box?
Pick non-perishable, long-life items from the list below. We love unbreakable things, so please no glass.
- Dried pasta, noodles or rice
- Tinned fruit and vegetables
- Beans
- Tinned soup
- Tinned fish and meat
- Boxes of cereal
- Jam, peanut butter or Marmite (in plastic jars)
- Cooking sauces or oil
- Tea and coffee
- Long-life drinks including juice or UHT milk
- Gravy granules
- Rice pudding
- Christmas chocolates, sweets and crisps
We are so grateful to the team at Mindful Chef for their ongoing support. Their commitment to the redistribution of surplus food makes a real difference to people and communities in need across the UK.
Polly Hofmann, Head of Partnerships at Felix
When do I send my box?
We’d love your items to be enjoyed over the festive period, so we ask for boxes to be dropped off by the 20th December. If you miss that date, don’t worry – the returns link will be active until 30th December.
Where will my food be sent?
This year, you decide. As well as London, there are new distribution points added nationally across Southampton, Ipswich and Liverpool so your food can help those across the country. Then Felix will use it to support 1.5 million people across the UK, alongside 16 other independent charities, 18,000 volunteers, and thousands of partners.
Do I need a printer?
No, your DPD drop-off point will sort that for you, once you’ve generated your returns label.
Can I use any box?
If you don’t have an old Mindful Chef box then feel free to use a different box, as long as it is sturdy enough to travel with your items in.
What if I don’t make it to 20 items?
Perhaps your box is full after 15, or you don’t have time to collect all 20 – that’s okay! Every item helps. Just make sure your items are secured then send your box to us anyway.
Tell your friends
The more people who join the Reverse Advent Calendar, the more we can make a difference. Mention #ReverseAdventCalendar on Instagram and tag @mindfulchefuk to share what you’ve collected so far. And join our Facebook community for more behind-the-scenes content too.
