Cast members of the Sky One drama Gangs of London joined teenagers to organise and run a community shop.
Pippa Bennett-Warner, Sope Dirisu, Valene Kane, Orli Shuka, Eri Shuka and Fady Elsayed helped unload a van, set up the shop and pack bags as part of a scheme organised by charity The Felix Project on Saturday (February 11).
The initiative was run by members of community interest company Rise.365 with the help of the six actors.
Bennett-Warner, who has been volunteering at The Felix Project since lockdown, said: "Like many, I had a lot of time to think in 2020 and my overwhelming feeling was that I wanted to be able to give back.
"Everyone at The Felix Project is so welcoming, friendly and have taught me a lot about why they are doing what they do.
"I love it and today has been incredible – to see the difference the food is making."
Bennett-Warner started her day at The Felix Project's Poplar depot to pick and load food for Rise.365 onto the van.
She then drove to Hackney to set up the community shop with the other Gangs of London stars.
The Felix Project is a London-based food distribution charity which saves surplus food from going to waste.
It distributes the food to around 1,000 community organisations and schools across the capital, including foodbanks, homeless and domestic abuse shelters and refugee support services.
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Rise.365 aims to empower young people and young adults, for example with the food service which operates on a Saturday.
Participants set up and run a community shop which enables the community to purchase a wide range of fresh food and produce.
Set up by Joyclen Buffong, Rise.365 has now provided 100,000 bags of shopping.
Some of the Gangs of London stars are from London themselves, including Elsayed who is from Islington.
Dirisu, who grew up in Hackney, said: "Everybody wants to be here, there’s a community of young who are actively going out to help others, and I have not seen anything like that in a really long time.
"The narrative around young people for many years has been that they are lazy and selfish and not up to any good, but if you come to somewhere like this you can see that isn’t true.
"It has made me believe in community again, it’s very easy to think that everyone is out for themselves, that nobody cares about their neighbour anymore, but when you come to places like Rise.365 or volunteer at The Felix Project, you see that’s not true, you see all the good being done.
"It’s so inspiring and I hope that I can now go out and do more for the people next to me."
Eri Shuka, who helped at the shop with her husband Orli, added: "It was an amazing opportunity for me to see something great.
"These kids, it’s a Saturday they are supposed to be out there doing whatever, instead they are here, they are helping people, building their community and showing love and compassion.
"It is so inspiring, for myself and my children, these are young adults who are supporting their community and most of all they are having fun, the atmosphere today, it is just fun, you really felt it."
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Jade Gibson, who has been coming to the food service for 18 months, praised its impact.
She said: "I have found it incredibly helpful because the cost of living has made food prices too high, everything has doubled in price, but coming here means I can get an amazing amount of food for such a small amount of money.
"I love the fact you get so much healthy food, fruit and vegetables, things you should be eating. It’s a God send.
"It’s also been so good for the community. I have started to make friends and it feels like one big family, everyone is helpful and lovely, it has improved the community."
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