Photography student releases book to highlight the issue of food poverty

The stark reality of food poverty in modern Britain has been captured in black and white clarity by a photography student at the University of Plymouth.

Harry Gennard, a second year undergraduate, spent a week volunteering with Provide Devon and the Plymouth Soup Run, and documented the work of volunteers who’ve kept both charities running during the pandemic.

From floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with donated goods to intensive food preparation for daily meals, Harry captured the scale of the challenge facing those organisations working to address food insecurity. And having submitted the photos for his degree project, Harry decided to create a book – Zero Hunger – to raise awareness of the issue and funds for Provide Devon, with proceeds from every copy sold being donated.

“I went into this project with an open mind,”

Harry said.

“But having witnessed the scale of the problem, and the selflessness of the volunteers, I felt I needed to make a contribution to the incredible work they are doing.”

As part of their second year, students on the BA Photography degree undertake a ‘collaborative practice’ module, in which they have to find a partner organisation with whom to work, and adopt one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a theme. Harry chose Zero Hunger, and contacted Provide Devon, a Christian charity that provides food and other essentials to local people at crisis point.