Mark Seed now runs a community food project in Trowbridge, east Cardiff.
BBC Wales analysis of new Census data suggests six of Wales’ most deprived communities are in the city.
A charity warns that struggling households do not just appear in areas long associated with poverty and policy needs to focus on people not places.
Trowbridge lies in what Mr Seed calls an “arc of poverty” from east to west of the Welsh capital, with issues endemic in his area.
“I’m still shocked by the fact that we have people who are eating pet food,” he said.
People in Cardiff 'eating pet food' as cost of living rises https://t.co/TiJt4NWaT0
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