Local Community comes together in support of Cambridge’s Community Food Work at the TTP Half Marathon 2022, please give them a cheer!
This Sunday 6th March, eight members of the Cambridge community will be taking to the city’s streets and running the Cambridge Half Marathon together to raise funds for Cambridge Sustainable Food and the city-wide Food Justice Programme, which works to ensure that everyone in the city has access to healthy and affordable food.
Amongst those running will be councillors, Cllr Hilary Cox Condron, Cllr Katie Thornburrow and Cllr Neil Shailer as well as community food heroes Michal Hul, a volunteer chef who cooked hundreds of community meals whilst on furlough during the first lockdown and Kaan Basken, who volunteers weekly supporting operations at CSF’s Community Food Centre, currently based at a Cambridge City Council community centre in North Cambridge.
Funds raised will enable CSF to continue to support the city’s eight Community Food Hubs, where people can access food for free, as well as other community organisations helping residents facing hardship.
Michal Hul, Volunteer Chef
Cllr Hilary Cox Condron training for the Half Marathon
Kaan Basken, Community Food Centre Volunteer
Cllr Hilary Cox Condron, Cambridgeshire County Cllr for Arbury and Vice Chair of the Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee (COSMIC) said:
“Heat or Eat shouldn’t be a dilemma anyone faces - yet so many residents in my ward - and across the county - are having to make that choice. It’s appalling. As COSMIC vice chair, I’m so pleased we commissioned Cambridge Sustainable Food to develop the Food Poverty Alliance, already established in Cambridge city, out across the county as part of our Anti Poverty Strategy. I am so inspired by the work they do as a small organisation not just feeding people but building networks and human connections to develop sustainable actions and achieve food justice for all. That’s why I’ve decided to run the half marathon to raise funds for CSF.”
Cllr Hilary Katie Thornburrow, Cllr for Petersfield said:
“I’ll be running to raise funds to support Cambridge Sustainable Food’s city-wide food justice work. CSF is a great organisation supporting the food hubs across the city, ensuring good food that might be wasted is used, that children are given food growing opportunities, and that we celebrate festivals of our diverse communities by sharing meals all through the year.”
Sam Dyer MBE, CEO of Cambridge Sustainable Food said:
“It’s fantastic that so many members of the local community are coming together and getting out there running the half marathon in support of Cambridge’s food justice work. Food insecurity has been a longstanding issue in Cambridge, one which has only been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. This shows what we can do as a city when we work together to support some of the most disadvantaged in our city. Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC and the Food Poverty Alliance will continue to work together to transform the city’s local food system for the better, building a fairer and more sustainable food future for all in Cambridge. Support like this from the local community is invaluable when it comes to making this possible.
With the cost of living due to rise and the uncertainty this poses for Cambridge residents, we are so grateful for this support from the Cambridge community to help us and our partner organisations continue to provide food support to residents facing hardship over the coming months.”