A warm Mancunian welcome to all my listeners from your host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe. In the fifth episode of Season 9 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, I speak to Tracey Torley, director of Cracking Good Food and a Spirit of Manchester award winner for community and business collaboration. Tracy discusses her journey into food advocacy, stemming from her West Indian heritage, and her impactful work with organisations aimed at alleviating food poverty and promoting sustainable cooking practices. Tracy also shares the operational challenges and successes of her initiatives, including kitchen kit redistribution and community cooking workshops. #FoodPoverty #FuelPoverty #community #GM #manchester #SocialImpact #NonProfit #podcast   Did you know:   ·      Food poverty is the inability of individuals and households to secure an adequate and nutritious diet. It can affect those living on low incomes, with limited access to transport and poor cooking skills. ·      Fuel poverty is when a household needs to spend at least 10% of its income on maintaining a satisfactory heating regime. ·      Around 13% of households in England are classed as fuel-poor. ·      In 2022/23 there were 7.2 million people, or 11% of the UK population, in households experiencing food poverty, including 17% of children. ·      In 2022/23, 2.3 million people lived in households which had used a food bank in the last 12 months. ·      An estimated 620,000 people, including over 200,000 children, in Greater Manchester are living in poverty and struggling to put food on the table. This includes many households with people in work, families with children, as well as older and disabled people. Key resource: Cracking Good Food Combating food insecurity   Time stamps of key moments in the podcast episode & transcript: (01:15) Introduction to Tracey Torley and organisations (01:39) Discovering a Passion for Food (02:39) Cultural Influences and Food Stories (04:36) Joining Cracking Good Food (05:29) Roles and Responsibilities at Cracking Good Food (07:43) Community Impact and Services (13:53) Challenges and Overcoming Them (17:32) Spirit of Manchester Award Nomination (20:16) Advice for Starting Similar Movements (26:06) Final Thoughts and Contact Information Listen to the episode and read the transcript on www.meetthemancunian.co.uk