Alfie's Arc was inspired by the life of Alfie Cowley, the son of our founding director, Lianne. Born on 31st May 2008, Alfie bravely battled a rare form of brain cancer from the age of 7 and left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. His kindness, compassion, and caring nature inspired us to honour his memory by helping others in our community.

Having experienced life on a low income ourselves and relying on food parcels in the past, we understood first-hand the challenges many families face. This inspired us to create a service that not only provides support, but does so with dignity - including fresh food and a more personal, community-focused approach.

Our founding director,  Lianne,  took the first step by registering with the local Environmental Health Officer and successfully achieved a 5-star Food Hygiene rating, allowing us to safely collect and store fresh food. We also have Level 3 Intermediate Food Hygiene trained staff, ensuring all food is handled, prepared, and distributed safely alongside the incredible support of our volunteers. 

Following this, we partnered with organisations including FareShare and Neighbourly, enabling us to collect surplus food from stores including Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Booker, and Sainbury's.

Every single day, Alfie's Arc team collects food from local stores, transports it back to our approved premises, and carefully sorts and distributes it to those who need it most. We provide affordable food parcels to anyone who may need support for a small donation.

But our work goes far beyond food parcels.

Each evening, we distribute around 80% of the food we collect directly to homeless individuals, assisted living accommodations, hostels, and rough sleepers across Havant and Portsmouth. Knowing we can make even a small difference to someone's day is the true heart of what we do.

Non of this would be possible without our amazing volunteers, who give their time tirelessly everyday. To every volunteer, supporter, donor, and community member - THANK YOU!

In December 2024, we proudly opened our first community shop and cafe in Greywell Shopping Centre, Leigh Park. At the front, you'll find a charity shop-style boutique full of affordable bargains, while at the back we serve hot and cold drinks - including our infamous milkshakes and Jacket potatoes!

Alfie's Arc, 19 Greywell Shopping Centre, Leigh Park, Havant, PO9 5AH

Since then, Alfie's Arc has continued to grow from strength to strength. In April 2026, we opened our second location in Havant - a larger community hub featuring a warehouse, charity- style shop, and cafe. his expansion has allowed us to increase the amount of food and support we can provide to local individuals and families, while also creating a bigger welcoming space for the community to come together. The new premises have helped improve our storage and distribution capabilities, support more outreach work, and continue building on Alfie's legacy of kindness, compassion, and community spirit.

Alfie's Arc, 23 Brockhampton Lane, Havant, PO9 1JB

07747708848  /  07904068003 

If you know of an organisation or Charity that may benefit from our support, or if you would like to volunteer your time, please don't hesitate to get in touch through our contact form.

We have many different roles that keep Alfie's Arc running every single day, and we are always grateful for extra support.

If you would like to make a donation, please visit our contact page or click HERE where you can find details for bank transfers and other ways to support our work.

Together, we can continue making a difference - one act of kindness at a time.