In 2006, Ealing 's Mark Harvey used to scan the streets of Weymouth in the freezing winter looking for a place to sleep without getting wet.
But now the tables have turned and a decade on the 51-year-old is running a charity that delivers two tonnes of surplus food each week to homeless charities.
Mr Harvey, who has lived in Greenford , for eight years, suffered a dislocated collar bone which forced him to leave his job as a cameraman in 2004.
His marriage broke down the same year and in 2006 he was homeless for a spell of nine months, in Weymouth, before moving back to London to start his own charity.
He said: "It was cold in the winter, I was homeless in January, February, March and I would sleep anywhere.
"It was cold and frightening, it makes me appreciate having a home now and having a some security over your head is one of the biggest reliefs you can have."
'A better world'
After getting back on his feet he joined The Upper Room Charity in Acton , Ealing, in 2010 where he volunteered in collecting surplus food and taking it to homeless charities.
But then 2014, he decided to set up his own charity, City Harvest , based in Acton, that year and who he claims now deliver two tonnes of surplus food to charities in west London.
With the help of 21 volunteers and a van driver, he collects surplus food from the likes of Nando's, Morrison's, Marks & Spencer, Whole Foods Market.
He added: "It's really satisfying because I have been there (homeless) and I know that surplus food won't be going to waste.
"I got in touch with retailers because I want to help people and if we all worked as a team it would be a better world.
"We are saving food from going to waste and giving it to people who need it."
The food, which includes ambient and fruit and vegetables, is then taken to charities including Salvation Army in Ealing, Ealing Churches Winter Night and the Ealing Food Bank.
They also deliver food to Acton Homeless Concern, Ealing Soup Kitchen and St John's Church in West Ealing.
City Harvest has also launched a campaign to raise money for another van.
