Hunger in Cambridge is systemic and pre-dates the pandemic. 

This winter, food banks are expecting to give out an emergency food parcel every 9 seconds. With thousands more now facing financial hardship, food banks have seen an increase in families who are “newly hungry”, who have been forced to use support services and claim benefits for the first time. In Cambridge, this fact is reflected by a 23% rise in Cambridge City Foodbank’s clients in the last year. There is concern that these families, and many more, will continue to struggle post-pandemic.

In this episode we talk with Margaret Saner, CEO of Cambridge City Foodbank, about the immense pressure food banks are under and what can be done to address food insecurity, and with Gavin Shelton, founder of the community farming initiative CoFarm, about how creating a sustainable food supply may be part of the solution. We also hear from members of the local community, Vicar David Maher from the Church of the Good Shepherd and from Sam Fox, Principal of North Cambridge Academy.

Find out more at Cambridge2030.org

If you want to contribute to a future series, get in touch with Alison Taylor at [email protected]

This podcast series, Cambridge – in pursuit of equality, is brought to you by Conscious Communications.