Manuela's Journey: Buckingham local finds hope through food and community

Manuela knows, first-hand, the joy and warmth that family gatherings during the festive season bring. However, it was the obvious contrast between her own joyous celebrations and the heart-wrenching loneliness experienced by others that moved her to action.

In the winter of 2020, Manuela embarked on her journey with FoodCycle, from the moment she walked through our doors, she was welcomed into a warm and supportive community of like-minded individuals.

It didn't take long for her to find her niche as a social prescriber, connecting patients with local services. Manuela understands that support within community networks is the foundation upon which lives can be rebuilt and hope can be rekindled.

To raise awareness on building communities through the power of food just like Manuela, Crock-Pot® has launched the Kind Communities Challenge, which aims to encourage communities across the nation to unite through the ‘power of food’, helping dispel loneliness and revive community spirit, by asking them to share their community cooking on social media.

As part of the challenge, Crock-Pot® has teamed up with national food charity, FoodCycle, to donate multi-cookers to FoodCycle centres across the country including London, Manchester, and Birmingham, to help them provide delicious community meals for those at risk of food poverty.

Manuela’s commitment to making a difference through food and community engagement makes her a compelling advocate for the Crock-Pot® Kind Communities campaign, emphasising the importance of social contact and the impact it can have on individuals and communities.