N ext time you’re in a crowd, take a look at the people around you. Chances are, more than you think have struggled at some point to afford healthy food.
Safefood research from last year found nearly half a million people in the Republic, or 9 per cent of the population, were living in food poverty.
Another recent study by a Dublin charity concluded that close to half of its catchment in Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard had fallen into the category. The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) said it received 112,772 requests for food assistance last year, up 8,548 since 2024.
Eilis Davenport, founder of Learn Local, a social enterprise bringing cooking skills into primary schools, says she works with many children who are living in temporary accommodation or family hubs.
“The babies in buggies are eating instant noodles at nine o’clock in the morning outside the school. You never know what somebody is going through. It’s so important to try and empathise on every single level,” she says.
A former fine dining pastry chef, Davenport grew up in Ballymun and left school at 16, when she was encouraged by her local youth club to enrol in a culinary skills course. She feels “lucky” that she had already learned much about cooking from her grandmother, who was an “incredible cook”.
Training in pastry, she worked in the fine dining world for several years but the evening hours became too difficult with children.“Once my children started at school I saw there was no education about food or cooking in schools, so I wanted to build something around that.”
In the Learn Local classes Davenport brings her cooking equipment (including hobs) into schools in the north inner city, Tallaght, Ballymun and Finglas. Most of the schools involved fall under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (Deis) programme, so they receive extra State supports.
The classes start with a basic soup and bread recipe. Week two is eggs: scrambled and French toast. Later lessons include making spaghetti bolognese and a stir fry. The schools vary in what they can provide on site.
“I’m coming at it from a skills perspective. The health comes in then and the food literacy, but it’s about giving them the skills to cook,” she says.
The classes are funded via a mix of State funding, school payments and private business sponsorships.
“Deis schools really struggle with funding and they are the schools we want to be in. It’s about trying to lift children out of food insecurity. You’re trying to give those kids the skills so that when they are teenagers they can do a bit more for themselves, especially when maybe their parents can’t.”
Schools and parents have told Davenport that some children in her classes have become more vocal and developed stronger fine motor skills. Some have learned to use a knife for the first time.
Yvonne Fleming, senior manager for Crosscare Community Services on Dublin’s Portland Row, says she has seen an increasing number of working people who need food supports.
Crosscare offers a food parcel collection and does work in Finglas, Jobstown and Portland Row, where there is also a community cafe.
In the Crosscare cafe, open from Monday to Friday, clients can buy a three-course meal for €5. Last year the cafe served 12,500 low-cost meals.
“We have a range of people eating here; some are older and retired people who might come in from other areas as they have free travel with the bus pass,” says Fleming.
“We also are seeing younger people who…