In this episode of the 2030 project, our focus has shifted from a public health crisis to a looming hunger and poverty crisis. Whether it’s the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian War in Ukraine, or extreme climate events, inflation rates and interest rates around the world are driving up the cost of living, driving up the cost of everything from groceries and energy to transportation and housing. Diane Dyson is the Vice President of Advocacy and Research at Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto. As dire and as difficult as things may be for many people, Diane notes it’s only served to heighten the urgency around the discussion of poverty. "It (is) an encouraging moment to see that poverty as an idea of how our neighbors are doing was a kitchen table conversation." Neil Hetherington is the CEO at Daily Bread. He heard that heightened discussion shortly after we completed Season 1 in this podcast series. “What gave me hope about the podcast was that it was soon after it was a month or two after the release of the final episode that I was speaking at a school and found out that the children in the grade 10 class had to listen to episodes of the 2030 Project. It was part of their curriculum and they are learning about the issues." It's an opportunity to turn that learning and those kitchen table discussions into real change.
