DIGGING FOR DEVON!

Rhiannon Alcock thought gardening was definitely not for her. So who could have foreseen that one day she would go on to found a thriving community project growing food for food banks?

- Rhiannon Alcock

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would not only be growing my own food but I would have set up a community growing project, I would have laughed and probably rolled my eyes! Ten years ago, despite the best efforts of my wonderful mum Ali and my dear friend Joscelyn, I had absolutely no interest in growing anything, not even planting a flower. The thought of spending time in a garden was just not on my radar. Fast forward to 2019, and a spur of the moment decision to take on an allotment to have access to some more outside space, and the rest is history.

As I began learning how to grow my own food I was working in education and took on responsibility for developing our whole school approach to nutrition and healthy eating. As part of this role I began to work with families experiencing food poverty and accessing food banks. Almost three million people in the UK use food banks, with demand at Exeter food bank alone rising by over 130% in recent years. It became apparent from conversations with families that they often felt fresh fruit and vegetables were an expense they couldn't always afford, and so these were often the first things to be cut out of their shopping when things were tight. And while donations to food banks are often very generous, due to the nature of collections fresh produce is not always available for donation. I believe wholeheartedly that everyone should have access to healthy, nutritious food, whatever their circumstances, and this is what inspired Devon Dig and Donate.