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Why would anyone cut 7,000 employees to save 0.06% of the budget from one of the most important agencies in the federal government? That's the question Congressman Tom Swasey asked at town hall with former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley. Over the past few days, O'Malley has warned that the 89-year streak of Social Security sending monthly benefits could come to an end.That is why we are reprising this important episode of Add Passion and Stir featuring O'Malley who talks with Billy and Debbie Shore about how Social Security is lifting kids out of poverty, and what more it could be doing. “Social Security is the difference between almost a million kids living above the poverty line or below it,” he says. During this conversation, O'Malley and Share Our Strength commit to a renewed partnership to help reach eligible children who are not currently enrolled in Social Security benefits. O'Malley also debunks some common myths about the program. “The other big myth is that Social security is going bankrupt. Totally false. Social Security cannot go bankrupt because Social Security is a pay as you go program, which means that so long as Americans work, Social Security pays benefits.” Listen and be inspired.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On the very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we revisit or conversation with chef, food writer, food critic, and author Ruth Reichl. Ruth discusses the transformative power of food and culture. “One of the great things to me about food is that you have the ability to touch these moments of grace throughout the day simply by biting into a perfect peach and going, ‘oh my God, I'm glad I'm alive,'" she marvels.Her new book, "The Paris Novel,” explores the connection between food and joy. Reichl's love of food and culture and food writer background shapes the book's main character, who travels to Paris and rediscovers herself through food, art, and other cultural experiences. She also talks about the recent changes in the restaurant industry. “Food has always been my way of seeing the world. I have always looked at the world food-first,” says Reichl.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we reprise an episode from May 2024 with two powerful leaders of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger. The Mayors Alliance is a bipartisan alliance of almost 400 mayors from across the country.In this time of turmoil, local leadership is all the more important to protecting and helping those in need. Mayors Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Mattie Parker of Fort Worth, Texas are committed to feeding hungry kids in their jurisdictions and setting an example for mayors in every corner of our nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Caree Cotwright, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity at the Food and Nutrition Service at the US Department of Agriculture, explains the concept of nutrition security on a new episode of Add Passion & Stir. “Nutrition security is everyone in our country having consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food, but also food that is optimal for their health and wellbeing,” she says. “If we want to achieve health equity and make sure that everyone has a just opportunity to be as healthy as possible, we have to focus on [health] inequities and disparities so that everyone can thrive.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On this very special encore episode of Add Passion and Stir, interior designer and philanthropist Charlotte Moss and Darren Walker, the former president of the Ford Foundation and the newly announced president of the National Gallery of Art, discuss the importance of ending child hunger. Moss selected No Kid Hungry to be the beneficiary of her book, Home: A Celebration . Home is an ode to Edith Wharton's The Book of the Homeless, which was a 1916 fundraiser to help refugees and children during WWI. Home features 120 artists, poets, chefs, designers, photographers, and writers offering personal reflections on the essence of home. Contributors include Drew Barrymore, Candice Bergen, Tory Burch, Seth Godin, Renee and John Grisham, Bianca Jagger, Annie Leibovitz, Jon Meacham, Bette Midler, Joyce Carol Oates, Al Roker, Gloria Steinem, Darren Walker, and Fanny and Alice Waters.“This is really philanthropy at its best, when people come together for a single cause and give of themselves - in essence sharing their strength - is what you're all about and what this book is all about,” says Moss. Walker was compelled to write the book's foreword. “It was a moment when we were all experiencing deep anguish in this country over the impacts of COVID which we immediately recognized as compounding the already deep inequality we have in this country… Charlotte used her privilege to raise awareness and consciousness of the conditions of poverty, particularly child poverty, which is the most difficult and pernicious poverty that we have in this country… Charlotte reminded us that there are far too many Americans who live without the dignity of shelter, of food, of nutrition, and particularly the most vulnerable among us, our children,” he says.All royalties from book sales support No Kid Hungry's essential mission to help end childhood hunger.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On this very special encore presentation of Add Passion and Stir we will revisit our conversation Pierre Ferrari, the former President and CEO of Heifer International, and Matt Bell, chef and owner of South on Main restaurant in Little Rock, as they share insights about creating value in poor communities. Since the first airing of this episode, Pierre has now retired and is writing a book about ending rural hunger around the world.Ferrari speaks about the success Heifer International has had in poor agricultural communities throughout the world by driving social psychological change before anything else. “We work with communities that could almost be described as clinically depressed...the despair is so deep…they feel condemned to this situation,” he says. Heifer uses value-based training to demonstrate to people their own ability and capacity to make change. “Without that psychological shift, nothing we do, no animal, no training will actually catch hold,” he notes. Bell has first-hand knowledge of the success of this model in Arkansas. He sources his chickens from Grassroots Farm Cooperative, a cooperative of 10 formerly struggling small farms in Little Rock that was formed with the help of Heifer International to meet the demand of the growing market. “My understanding of Heifer at the time was you buy a cow and someone somewhere gets a cow. I didn't understand this small business component. I didn't understand it could happen in Arkansas,” says Bell.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The pain and suffering children in poverty endure, is a choice. NOT their choice, not their parents' choice, but a policy choice made by politicians in Washington DC. In this very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we will examine the plight of the millions of American children who live in poverty and struggle with hunger. We provide a 360o view of the issues from many perspectives. Including those of Author and Child Advocate David Ambroz;Congressman Jim McGovern;Second Harvest Food Bank executive director Rhonda Chaffin;New York Times' senior writer Jason DePerle; Research scientist Dr. Renee Ryberg;Harvard Professor Dr. Jack Shonkoff;Pediatrician Dr. Kimberly Montez; andAmerican Academy of Pediatrics CEO Mark DelMonte See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we are going to talk about challenges and solutions in the fight for equity in America. We found three incredibly compelling stories that address the solvable problem of inequity in all its forms in the United States. We will hear from Bonton Farms CEO Daron Babcock, Investigative Journalist Aldore Collier, and Dr. Michael McAfee, President and CEO of Policy Link; three visionaries who saw past obstacles that others found too daunting and are now sharing their strength to create z more equitable America for all of its citizensSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
For life success to be achieved, there needs to be passion for the things IN life! Let's talk about how we can add passion to the recipe of life. Join host Steve Wohlenhaus on the ANATOMY OF SUCCESS podcast and dig deep into what actions you can take to find success in health, work, and relationships. Expect transparent candor and challenges that require action, all to help you define success on your own terms.
Level up what you offer. Add beauty, share the best tastes, cook meals together, add great sensory pleasures visually and in your dress in creative ways as you do for others what you do. See more at: MarkSpencerCook.com/Podcast, www.YouTube.com/MarkSpencerCook, and on all podcast platforms. Become more of an artisan with whatever you do. The more senses you touch the more memorable your service, work, and influence. Find a way to add sensory pleasures. Tommaso Cardullo, beauty and taste extraordinaire joins Mark S. Cook, who is in sweats to emphasize the comfort of rest and recovery. Purpose can always become more passionate for the doer and receiver if creative additions go well with your primary purpose and delivery. Thank you to Tommaso (tommasocardullo.com) and Taste117 (taste117.com) in Provo, UT. See more at: MarkSpencerCook.com/Podcast, www.YouTube.com/MarkSpencerCook, and on all podcast platforms. Tommaso talks with award-winning speaker and consultant, Mark S. Cook. Among 600 acts of leaders, Cook discovered a “passion for purpose” was the #1 predictor of outstanding outcomes. Sensory pleasure is one of our primary pursuits in life, even on the job. See www.MarkSpencerCook.com/Purpose/ to clarify your purpose, among the most meaningful needs and desires people have in life. Find your primary purpose: the "big why" you fulfill part of another's work and life. Most importantly, a leader must engender a passion in purpose and transmit a couple other essentials. Cook's Bold Encounters are interviews with award-winning leaders to always sharpen his advanced method of leading that helps people get unstuck and thriving. The Tommaso Cardullo focuses directly on one of the twelve cardinal purposes and passions in all of human existence, especially when other's consume our work—sensory pleasure. Tommaso Cardullo, raised in Italy, succeeded in the US by bringing beauty, every sensory pleasure, and joy into people's lives. Cardullo and Cook delve into the importance of adding sensory pleasure to whatever you bring to work and life. At the heart of any bold encounter is a shared experience, often encounters with multi-sensory pleasures. Give joy through innate, unexpected intangibles and more. Tommaso's insights touch on purposeful design, overcoming challenges, embracing change, and approaching tasks with both intelligence and beauty. Build meaningful connections and infuse passion and purpose in each experience you create: "Life is about finding joy and joy can be found in unexpected places." "Experience is the investment and return-on-experience is the ultimate reward." "Connections are essential; we are here to walk each other home." A couple came to Tommaso. He made the wife look incredible. Yet she was confused. Then… See the full interview at: MarkSpencerCook.com/Vodcast, YouTube, and all podcast platforms. Links for Tommaso Cardullo: • LinkedIn: Tommaso Cardullo • Website: TommasoCardullo.com • Instagram: @TommasoCardullo Links for Mark S. Cook: • Podcast: MarkSpencerCook.com/Podcast • LinkedIn: Mark S. Cook • Social Media: @MarkSpencerCook
While this conversation first aired in 2018, the issues it explores about food equity and access remain unsolved in America and in many ways were exacerbated by the pandemic. In this episode of Add Passion and Stir , poverty expert and author Kathy Edin ($2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America) and Washington, DC-area social entrepreneur Tom McDougall of 4P Foods illustrate how our current systems – political, social, economic, geographic – keep poor people from succeeding. They argue for more equity in social programs and a more dignified way of serving the poor. Kathy shares stunning statistics and poignant stories from America's impoverished families with whom she has worked and reminds us that, "When it comes down to it, what people seem to want more than anything else is dignity. … but a lot of our social policies deny people that.” What remains true today is the call-to-action to address and fix America's broken food system that as Tom notes can't be fixed "...unless we talk about money and politics… subsidies… institutional racism…If we move the needle just a tad on food equity, it means we're moving a lot of other needles along the way.”Hear recommendations from two thought leaders in food equity on what we can do as individuals and as a nation to improve these dire circumstances for the poor in America.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Could kelp be the new corn? In this Add Passion and Stir episode, Briana Warner, CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms, and Debbie Gagnon, President and Co-owner of Red's Eats (Wiscasett, ME), discuss the importance of seaweed to the future of our food system. “There are choices that we can be making about our everyday eating habits that can make the planet actually better,” says Warner, who built the biggest kelp company in the US. Gagnon is excited to be an early adopter of this healthy and sustainable product. “I wanted to try [the kelp burger] because I'll be honest: I wanted it to be delicious. And oh man, it's delicious. I'm so proud of it!,” she raves.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Service is in Michael McAfee's DNA. From an early career in the military to roles in the Federal Government and his current leadership at PolicyLink, McAfee has dedicated his life to realizing a just and fair society – a society designed for all. To achieve this, McAfee centers equity and focuses on seeing others humanity, especially those with differing opinions or backgrounds. The results are federal programs like Promised Neighborhoods, which works to ensure children in distressed neighborhoods are supported from cradle to career, and PolicyLink's ongoing efforts to “change the nature and logic of our governing institutions so that they could work for everyone.” McAfee shares his journey to this work in this episode of Add Passion and Stir.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Een groot dankjewel naar jullie allemaal! Wat een fantastisch (podcast-)jaar is 2022 voor mij geweest en dat is mede dankzij jullie. In 2023 ga ik verder waar ik in 2022 ben gebleven. Ik wil zoveel mogelijk mensen met ADD/ADHD helpen met het krijgen van een gelukkiger leven. Een leven op basis van jou eigen wensen en voorwaarden. Een leven zoals jij dat wil! In deze aflevering vertel ik je meer over het ADD Passion programma. Een traject waarin ik je begeleid, zowel in groep als individueel. Ben je benieuwd wat dit programma inhoudt? Luister dan snel deze aflevering!
When is a cupcake more than a cupcake? When it's helping to end food insecurity. For Michael C. Platt and Sahana Vij, two young bakers who've turned their love of baking into platforms to raise awareness and funds to help end hunger, baking has been a way to connect with their community. Add Passion and Stir host, Billy Shore sat down with these two Gen Z leaders to talk about how they found baking, how they're sharing their strength to end childhood hunger through their entrepreneurial efforts and cookbooks, and how why they both believe that the key to making a difference is leaning into what you're passionate about.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ending childhood hunger in America takes more than a change in policy, it requires individuals and organizations in communities across the country working together and sharing their strength. In this final episode of Add Passion and Stir's series exploring why food is the most important school supply, we hear from individuals committed to ending hunger in their community. From Chef Lorena Garcia and her nonprofit Big Chef, Little Chef that works in schools to help kids and families build better relationships with food to participants in No Kid Hungry's Youth Ambassador, join us to hear inspiring stories from those working to end childhood hunger and learn how you can get involved.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Hunger is a reality, but it is also a solvable problem. While millions of kids face hunger everyday, we can make sure every kid gets the food they need to grow up healthy, happy, and strong. The second episode in Add Passion and Stir's series on why food is the most important school supply connects with changemakers from federal, state, and local government and community organizations that are working to solve childhood hunger in America. Their solution: making sure kids get feed while they are at school. The episode features: Dawn Amano-Ige, First Lady of HawaiiDr. Sara Bleich, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, USDADr. Miguel A. Cardona, Secretary of EducationJohn Giles, Mayor, Mesa, ArizonaJennie Gordon, First Lady of WyomingLevar Stoney, Mayor, Richmond, VirginiaTom Vilsack, Secretary of AgricultureSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, we are revisiting our Child Tax Credit series. We look at how organizations are using technology to make sure eligible families are receiving the credit. With more than 36 million additional children — a majority of whom are Black and Latino — now eligible and the credit being distributed as a monthly payment instead of an annual lump sum many changes were required to ensure success of the program.We spoke with Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America, who launched the GetCTC.org portal to make it easier for families to claim their credit and Jimmy Chen, CEO of Propel, the organization behind the Providers app, which allows participants to manage a variety of government benefits, including the CTC, in one place about how they are helping to the credit reach all eligible families.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Since 2015, Chefs Cycle has given chefs an outlet to fight hunger AND push their own physical limits. After a two-year break due to COVID, the Chefs Cycle event returned in 2022 – with an intentionally smaller footprint to keep things safe – with a two-day, 200 mile ride in the Santa Rosa region of California. With more than 90 riders, a mix of new and returning, the event exceeded its goal of $500k raising more than $800k for the No Kid Hungry campaign. Add Passion and Stir talks with some of this year's riders -- Thomas Pisha-Duffly of Gado Gado in Portland, OR; Baruch Laskin of The Laskin in Calgary; Jamie Carawan of Buffalo Wild Wings; Elaine Cizma who rode with her dad Ted Cizma of Stellar Pizza; and Damien Hanft of Inspire Brands -- about why they ride.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
“You can change people's moods really fast with food.” This sentiment is at the heart of all that Greg and Subrina Collier believe. A husband and wife team behind six successful restaurants including Charlotte, NC's-acclaimed Leah & Louise and the founders of the Bayhaven Food & Wine Festival, a three-day celebration of Black foodways, Subrina and Greg are at the forefront of the movement to increase the number of Black-owned business, Black chefs, and Black leaders in the hospitality industry. For them, this movement is about more than representation, as Greg Collier noted, “Representation is important. Being seen is important. But if there is a thing, funding is the most important thing. If we had half the opportunities other chefs had you would see different types of restaurants.” In this episode, part of Add Passion & Stir's ongoing Rebuilding series, we connect with two inspiring leaders in hospitality who are creating pathways to economic empowerment for Black culinarians.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In his more than 30 years in the industry, Chip Wade, President of Union Square Hospitality Group, has seen all sides of hospitality – from the kitchen to HR and real estate development. Throughout his career, he's been a champion for expanding leadership diversity in the hospitality industry. “In our industry we are woefully underrepresented with women in key leadership positions and that is the same for people of color,” noted Wade when we connected with him as part of Add Passion and Stir's ongoing Rebuilding series. This work requires looking at how the hospitality industry has been designed and who it was designed for. For Wade, this means fostering a culture that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, not only for employees, but also for partners and guests: “We want our workforce to look like the city of New York. And last time I looked, New York was the second or first most diverse city in America.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On today's very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we speak with DC chef and restaurateur Erik Bruner-Yang, who was on the ground in Medyka, Poland with Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen is feeding hot, nourishing meals to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees coming across the border. When we spoke with Erik on the night of Monday, March 7th, continuous Russian attacks on a number of Ukrainian cities were sending an estimated 2 million people to neighboring countries in search of safety. World Central Kitchen activated restaurants in Ukraine and 4 surrounding countries, serving hundreds of thousands of meals to families. Chef Bruner-Yang provided his eyewitness account of serving over 100,000 refugees in the span of one week.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Stephen Satterfield is the founder and CEO of Whetstone media and host of the critically-acclaimed Netflix docuseries High on the Hog. Satterfield is using education about the relationships of Black people with food and agriculture to inspire and galvanize. “Not seeing yourself as a part of a cultural narrative is deeply, deeply damaging,” he says. “I'm advocating for the language of food as a means of accessing difficult conversations, and generally waking people up about all of the connections that we have with environment, culture, society, that are right in plain sight.” He also wants his work to play a part in national healing. “I hope my work can be a small part of bringing back this ancestral knowledge, this deep knowledge that is in our bones that has also given us life and opportunity, and even in 2022 has the capacity to radically undermine the systems that continue to harm us and keep us down.”This episode is part of Add Passion and Stir's ongoing series Rebuilding which connects with leaders from across media, restaurants, education, government, and beyond to learn how they're reimagining and redesigning their industries to make sure everyone feels a sense of belonging.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As the daughter of a teacher, a teacher herself, and the former Chancellor of DC Public Schools, Kaya Henderson believes in the power of education. In this conversation, part of Add Passion and Stir's ongoing Rebuilding Series, Henderson recounts how she grew up in a household with an ethic of “to whom much is given much is required” and how that instilled a desire to give back. An opportunity to teach in the South Bronx as a member of Teach for America sparked Henderson's love of education: “I taught middle school Spanish in the South Bronx for two years. It completely changed my life, changed my outlook, changed my trajectory.” Her experience in education led her to realize that formal education systems don't offer enough opportunities to develop children's cultural identity and specifically offer space to discuss Black contributions in an accurate, identity-affirming way. This led her to found Reconstruction, an online education platform that “teaches Black Glory, Black Love, Black Genius, Black Kindness, and Black Excellence.” Henderson describes the mission of Reconstruction as “a reckoning around how we tell the full truth about history and our historical context is complicated…When kids know themselves they act differently in the world. When kids have been fed a steady diet of negative things about themselves then they don't believe that they can succeed.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sharif El-Mekki is the founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development, which is focused on revolutionizing education by dramatically increasing the number of Black educators. “People are naive enough to think that once you enter a school, racial bias disappears,” says El-Mekki. “If a Black child has a Black teacher, they have a higher sense of belonging, they're less likely to be suspended or expelled. They have more access to rigorous courses, higher attendance, better grades.” El-Mekki sees the work as a form of activism. “Educational justice and racial justice are connected and cannot be separated,” he stresses. Join us to learn more about a truly different approach to equity in the classroom and beyond.This episode is part of Add Passion and Stir's ongoing series Rebuilding which connects with leaders from across media, restaurants, education, government, and beyond to learn they're reimagining and redesigning their industries to make sure everyone feels a sense of belonging.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Cities are on the frontlines of responding to the short and long-term impacts of hunger in their communities and mayors have witnessed firsthand the hardship their constituents face. On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, we speak with two mayors leading the fight against child hunger. Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond, Virginia and Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona are the inaugural Chair and Vice Chair of the new Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger. The Alliance is a nonpartisan coalition of more than 50 mayors working in partnership with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger.Members of the Alliance will engage in collective advocacy to address child hunger at state and federal levels. Mayors Stoney and Giles have a lot of hope about what this group can do to transcend partisan politics. “I think sometimes people try to define an issue like childhood hunger as a political issue between Democrats and Republicans. When you're in this role as mayor, you find out that this is about humanity and how we treat our children and our families with dignity,” says Mayor Stoney. “The biggest tool that I have in my toolbox is the ability to convene… mayors are in a uniquely powerful position to connect the needs of the community with the resources of the community,” Mayor Giles remarks. Join us to learn more about their current efforts and ideas for the future.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
With just over 580,000 residents, Wyoming is a state where “when you meet someone, it really is about one or two degrees of separation before you are starting to find common friends,” says First Lady of Wyoming, Jennie Gordon. That connectedness makes the knowledge that 1 in 5 children in Wyoming suffer from food insecurity even more personal to the First Lady and the people of Wyoming. As First Lady, Gordon has made food insecurity a core initiative and launched the Wyoming Hunger Initiative in 2019. The initiative is working with existing organizations in the state to end childhood hunger and food insecurity in Wyoming: “Almost every community had a food pantry…but what they needed was awareness. I wanted to work on raising awareness and finding a Wyoming solution to the [food insecurity] challenges we face in the state,” says Gordon. In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Gordon shares how her parents' experience with food insecurity – her mother grew up in Vienna, Austria during WWII and her father grew up during the depression in a family with 10 children – inspired her commitment to end hunger. She also discusses how programs like “Grow a Little Extra” and “Food from the Field” offer opportunities for the people of Wyoming to share their strength by planting additional crops in their home gardens or streamlining the donation process for game and meat. “In our first year [of Grow a Little Extra], we had over 10,000 lbs. of produce that was donated throughout the state.” Join us for this conversation about building pathways for neighbors to support neighbors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode of Add Passion and Stir from early 2019, Thrive Global Founder and CEO Arianna Huffington and renowned pastry chef and North Fork Table and Inn owner Claudia Fleming discuss a topic very relevant today: the effects of stress and exhaustion on creativity, productivity and health. “For all of us, what moves the needle, whether it's in a non-profit or for-profit business, are creative ideas. They are the first to be sacrificed when we are exhausted… If your life is just about productivity and there is no joy, there is something wrong,” explains Huffington. Fleming uses her influence as a chef to effect change. “Food is politics. You can't get away from the fact that agribusiness runs a good portion of our government. I think there's no greater way to effect change than by bringing people together. As chefs, we do that,” she explains.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As we continue to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, No Kid Hungry is telling the stories of what children faced during the crisis - and the incredible people working to feed them. Working with local artists in cities across the country, NKH's Rebuilding campaign created a series of five micro-documentaries and murals in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, and Washington, D.C. to showcase the stories of local children's thoughts and feelings about life during the pandemic and their hopes for the future into public works of art.In this episode of “Add Passion and Stir,” host Billy Shore and Share Our Strength's CMO, Pamela Taylor connect with Désirée Kelly, the artist that created the Rebuilding mural featured in Detroit, MI. Kelly, a Detroit-native known for her distinctive style of storytelling through portraits with a mixture of “street art” & traditional oil technique, describes the experience of sharing her community's story: “It meant so much to me being a Detroiter and representing the community...to finally have the voice to be able to speak for everyone visually.” Giving “voice” to the stories of those acutely impacted by COVID was an important consideration for the campaign. Taylor noted that NKH worked exclusively with artists of color to share the story of Black and Brown communities, “We wanted to uplift those that we knew had faced challenges in ways that had been exacerbated. Identifying artists of color to talk with the children and to hear their stories and who were part of their community...to have that connection was so important to us.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
For nearly 25 years, the Child Tax Credit has helped eligible American families with the cost of raising children. In 2021, the American Rescue Plan included significant changes to the credit: the amount per child was increased, 26 million more children were made eligible for the benefit, and the credit became a monthly cash payment as opposed to an annual lump sum. The impact of these changes are profound with experts saying that childhood poverty could be cut in half. In this final episode of Add Passion and Stir's Child Tax Credit series, we explore the impact the credit is having on families and it's role in reducing child poverty in America. Share Our Strength's Billy Shore speaks with Kim Ford, CEO of Washington, DC-based Martha's Table and Cailyn Thomas, Family Engagement Specialist at Martha's Table. For Kim, the power of the credit's direct monthly cash payments: “It's very different when you respect someone to the point where you say, ‘this is your money and you make your own decision with it.'” We also hear from Sam Daley-Harris, an activist and founder of the international citizens' lobby RESULTS, about the role everyone has in advocating for an extension of the credit. As Sam describes it, “Transformational advocacy is where the advocate grows and sees themselves in a new light, sees themselves in a way they never imagined possible, sees themselves as a community leader.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this second episode of Add Passion and Stir's Child Tax Credit series, we look at how organizations are using technology to make sure eligible families are receiving the credit. With more than 36 million additional children — a majority of whom are Black and Latino — now eligible for the CTC and the credit being distributed as a monthly payment instead of an annual lump sum many changes were required to ensure success of the program. We spoke with Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America, who launched the GetCTC.org portal to make it easier for families to claim their credit and Jimmy Chen, CEO of Propel, the organization behind the Providers app, which allows participants to manage a variety of government benefits, including the CTC, in one place about how they are helping to the credit reach all eligible families.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Child Tax Credit Series Bonus ContentCongressman Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts) has made it his mission to end childhood hunger. As part of Add Passion and Stir's series covering the expansions to the Child Tax Credit, we spoke with McGovern about his advocacy for legislation that addresses the root causes of hunger and poverty in America. Elected in 1996, the year the Child Tax Credit was created, McGovern has seen all variations of the credit from inside Congress. For him, the expansion of the Child Tax Credit to provide benefits to an additional 39 million households is a critical component of a cross-governmental strategy to end poverty.McGovern says, “This [bill] is about our values. These are people's lives…The reason why this investment is so significant is because we have underinvested in people for decades.” In this full interview with McGovern, we hear how he is working with leaders in and out of government to finally make the conversation about hunger something that we address head on. “Hunger is a political condition. We have the food, resources, knowledge, infrastructure; we have everything to end it but we haven't had the political will,” McGovern concludes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Passed in 1997, The Child Tax Credit, known as the CTC, provides an end of year tax credit to families with children under 16. In March 2021, as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, the American Rescue Plan, the CTC saw its largest ever increase — making the credit available for children 17 and under, increasing the amount per child ages 6-17 from $2,000 to $3,000 and from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under six, and changing it to a monthly payment instead of annual lump sum. Experts estimate these changes could lift as many as 5 million kids out of poverty.In this first episode of a series on the CTC, Add Passion and Stir welcomes Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and other thought leaders in a conversation about the origin and evolution of this legislation. What was the original concept? How has it worked and not worked? How did the CTC's expansion come to pass? And how are broader policy changes, such as an historic 25% increase to monthly SNAP benefits, working together to fight hunger and poverty in America. Episode Guests:- Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) who has worked to end food insecurity since joining Congress in 1997- Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) who, since 2003, has pushed for an increase in the amount provided by the CTC- Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) an anti-poverty champion and author of the American Family Act of 2019 which advocated for monthly, refundable tax credit for families- Monica Gonzales, Director of Federal Advocacy at Share Our StrengthSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The restaurant industry was hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. In 2020, Add Passion and Stir connected with chefs to learn how the pandemic was affecting them. We're revisiting these inspiring conversations to showcase the resilience of the restaurant industry and its commitment to service.We spoke with Chicago's award-winning chef and Mexico: One Plate at a Time host Rick Bayless in September of 2020. At that time he was concerned about independent restaurants and advocating for federal funds to stabilize them. “If we don't get some assistance, I'm afraid we're going to see our neighborhoods just devastated. They are going to lose their character. Restaurants are a major part of our culture,” he explained. Bayless got involved with the Independent Restaurant Coalition, which lobbied Congress for funds to support the restaurant industry. In early 2021, the Biden Administration's American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund which provides funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open.Click here to hear the original interview with Rick Bayless.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
September 6, 2021 Ask Allie Podcast: Life Advice with a Metaphysical Twist! Longest running spiritual podcast on iTunes. Helping others since 2005. Grab a reading, OBE adventure fun, soulmate/twin flame magic, and DIY energy work: https://outofbodyecstasy.com/shop-2/ Go here to ask your Ask Allie Question: http://bit.ly/AskAllieQ Learn more about the 777 Connection Café: https://bit.ly/777Connection SHOW FORMAT: SEASON 16 – EPISODE 16 * Introduction * Updates * Listener Question: n/a * Magical Item of the Week: Bay Leaf * Topic: 4 Stones To Add Passion Back Into The Bedroom * Oracle Card Reading of the Week for Sept 6, 2021 * Closing remarks Connect with Me on These Platforms: Tik Tok: @obeallie Instagram: @allieobe Twitter: @allietheiss Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allietheissfriends/ https://www.facebook.com/obesex Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/theissallie/ #AskAllie, #spirituality, #motivation, #selfdevelopment, #growth, #selfhelp, #guidance, #reading, #oraclecardreading, #cardreading, #energy, #soul #love #twinflame #soulmate #intuition #manifestation #magical #bayleaf #passion #stone #crystal
The restaurant industry was hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. In 2020, Add Passion and Stir connected with chefs to learn how the pandemic was affecting them. We're revisiting these inspiring conversations to showcase the resilience of the restaurant industry and its commitment to service.When we spoke with Amanda Cohen of NYC's Dirt Candy in April 2020, the shutdown in New York City was only weeks old. Cohen said she and other chefs were struggling with reopening their restaurants after the crisis has passed. “How are we going to reopen? What am I reopening to? Who still has money to go out in this city? And who wants to go to a crowded restaurant?,” she asks. She has long been an outspoken advocate for fair restaurant industry practices. She is also a leader on eliminating tipping in her restaurant. Dirt Candy offers a starting hourly wage of $25/hour, as well as paid time off, paid sick leave, health insurance, and continuing education. “If we reopen the same way as we closed, we will have literally learned nothing,” she says. Click here to hear the original interview with Amanda Cohen. [https://www.shareourstrength.org/podcast/restaurant-survival-after-the-covid-19-pandemic]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The restaurant industry was hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. In 2020, Add Passion and Stir connected with chefs to learn how the pandemic was affecting them. We're revisiting these inspiring conversations to showcase the resilience of the restaurant industry and its commitment to service. In April 2020, Add Passion and Stir connected with NYC's Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns chef and co-owner Dan Barber to discuss how vulnerable the pandemic had made the farm-to-table movement. “There's a network of farmers that we're connected to, whether you know it or not. That network has been shattered,” laments Barber. To help, Barber and Stone Barns launched resourcED which sold food in boxes as a way to give the farmers that supply his restaurants a revenue stream. In this updated epsiode, we revisit this conversation with Barber and share updates on how things are going now. Click here to hear the original interview with Dan Barber.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ready to learn how to add passion back into your business? Remember when you first started this journey and your heart was full of fire and you felt like you could tackle the world? But as years went on some of that can fizzle and those things you used to enjoy so much are now feeling a bit mundane. Maybe you feel like you are lacking your purpose and need to redefine WHY the heck you are doing this. Let's explore this idea. And discover your purpose in business so that you can use that to serve others well, and grow financially and emotionally.
The restaurant industry was hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. In 2020, Add Passion and Stir connected with chefs to learn how the pandemic was affecting them. We're revisiting these inspiring conversations to showcase the resilience of the restaurant industry and its commitment to service.In May 2020, Add Passion and Stir connected with Chef Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto, ABC Pony, Foreign National) who said that for him the pandemic "...has been a wake-up call... I've always been wading in the water of being a public servant and [I'm] finally jumping into it.” In this updated episode, we return to the conversation we had with Bruner-Yang about the effects of the pandemic and establishing the Power of 10 Initiative to help those in need and share updates on how things are going now. As Bruner-Yang shared recently, “No matter how much people want the pandemic to be over, the effects are going to be generational and programs like The Power of 10 which started as an emergency response has turned into a long term effort.”Click here to hear the original interview with Erik Bruner-Yang. ( https://www.shareourstrength.org/podcast/fighting-to-make-it-every-week-restaurants-before-and-after-coronavirus-2 )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in New York city rocked the culinary world when he announced his three-star Michelin restaurant would re-open with a meat-free menu. In this very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, Chef Humm tells host Billy Shore "My hope is that we can show that we can create these magical moments that are luxurious and delicious without using meat."Explaining his motivation, Chef Humm noted our current food system is not sustainable, "This is not an anti-meat move. This is more a pro-planet move." The shutdown of Eleven Madison Park during the pandemic, gave Humm time for reflection and a reevaluation of his priorities. We will also re-visit an earlier conversation with Chef Humm during the height of the pandemic, when Humm transformed Eleven Madison Park into a food provider of 5,000 meals a day in partnership with Rethink Food NYC. “The recipe I want to really share with the world is the recipe of doing what we’re doing, but also feeding the people in need, under one roof,” he says.
On today's episode of Add Passion and Stir, we'll be talking with former Secretary of Education John B. King about closing achievement gaps in our educational systems. We recorded this episode on Monday March 21st just hours before the tragedy in Boulder, Colorado when a gunman entered a grocery story and killed 10 people. We spoke with Congressman Mike Thompson from California founder and chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. His timely and informed commentary on the Boulder shooting serves as a preamble to today’s podcast on dismantling systemic obstacles to equality in our society. Education Trust President and CEO and former US Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. joins Share Our Strength Managing Director of DEI Robert Simmons and Billy Shore to discuss the inequities in our education system and the new partnership between Education Trust and Share Our Strength. “The education system is inequitable at every level and gives the least to the kids who need the most. If our education system was more equitable, we would have a more equitable society,” states King. “[The recently-passed Child Tax Credit] gives me hope that maybe we’re coming to a place of greater public understanding of the role the government has to play in ensuring equality of opportunity,” he says. King, Simmons and Shore discuss their partnership intended to shine a spotlight on the connection between education and hunger. “Only 8% of African Americans live in a census tract with a grocery store. That’s a disaster. That’s a result of policy choices, and we can make different policy choices,” King believes. “Together, we can make clear that hunger is a symptom of a number of deeper issues that have to do with poverty, inequity, and structural racism,” concludes Shore. Join us and learn from one of the most inspiring leaders in education about how we can choose to make better policy choices around systemic inequities.
In this very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, host Billy Shore discusses the Biden Administration's commitment to ending hunger in America. And, we revisit our conversation with chef and advocate Kwame Onwuachi.Award-winning Washington DC chef Kwame Onwuachi (formerly of Kith/Kin) talks to Billy Shore about the how the crisis of COVID-19 and its economic fallout is exposing the vulnerability of the restaurant industry and the fundamental changes that must occur for independent restaurants to survive. “I would hope we don’t just go back to the same normal, that we create a new normal that really makes sure that we’re taking care of our staff and our community as well as the bottom line,” says Onwauchi. “The power is in the dollar. Where you spend your money is where publications go, what they write about,” he explains. In his memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef and an article in the Washington Post, Onwuachi takes on issues of race and diversity in the culinary world. “I went through a struggle in trying to find a path to the cuisine of my heritage. Investors and owners have constantly pushed me to do what they think is right, instead of what was authentic to me,” he wrote in the Post. “I try to speak my mind and speak truthfully. There are a lot of people who share similar stories and when they hear someone being vocal about it, it lets them know that they’re not alone,” he says.Get inspired by one of the great, young chefs in America who is fighting to bring more diversity, inclusion and economic justice to the restaurant industry and his community.
Get the featured cocktail recipe: Mandarin Mezcal Margarita As the co-founder of Share Our Strength, Debbie Shore has led the development of their incredibly successful fund-raising culinary events: Taste of the Nation, No Kid Hungry dinners, Dine Out for No Kid Hungry and Chefs Cycle. And as if that’s not enough, she is the co-creator of Add Passion and Stir, a weekly podcast featuring thought leaders who are diligently working to change the world for the good. Now that deserves a toast! #CocktailingAloneTogether while you make a donation to No Kid Hungry? Then head over to our library of libations to toast your act of kindness. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about the show! ****************************************************** The Designated Drinker Show is produced by Missing Link—a podcast media company that is dedicated to connecting people to intelligent, engaging and informative content. Also in the Missing Link line-up of podcasts, is Rodger That—a podcast dedicated to guiding you through the haze of dementia led by skilled caregivers, Bobbi and Mike Carducci. Now, if you are looking for a whole new way to enjoy the theatre, check out Between Acts—an immersive audio theatre podcast experience. Each episode takes you on a spellbinding journey through the works of newfound playwrights—from dramas to comedies and everything in between.
What responsibilities do corporations have in the communities where they work? Host Billy Shore welcomes two guests from Sodexo, Inc.: Chief Diversity and Sustainability Officer for the Americas Gerri Mason Hall, and Director of Culinary Delivery Desmond Fannin to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion within their company and society at large as well as the impact COVID-19 has had on their work. Sodexo is a No Kid Hungry partner and Add Passion and Stir sponsor. “What organizations have to do is recognize talent, recognize those underrepresented, and create opportunities... Part of my job is to recognize that talent, often overlooked because of unconscious biases,” explains Mason Hall. “You know [the discrimination] is there, and you… have a responsibility to push through because other people will need to navigate those waters as well,” observes Fannin. When schools were forced to close earlier this year, Sodexo ramped up their anti-hunger efforts. “In this pandemic when schools shut down, we continued to serve because we know how critical it is for children to have access to food. We had to think differently and still support the community,” says Mason Hall. “We’ll get through this pandemic, but what’s the next thing? We’re trying to partner with school districts on is how can we connect the dots to a school as a hub,” she adds. Join us for this insightful conversation about social responsibility with two innovative leaders from a leading anti-hunger champion.
How do poverty and racism put people at risk for COVID-19, and how do we protect those most vulnerable? On the latest episode of Add Passion & Stir, Sojourners Founder and President Jim Wallis and Billy Shore discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing the inequities in our society. “Poverty and racism are preexisting conditions that help you get the disease,” says Wallis. “We need to consider how can we redeem this time not just for immediate response, but also how will this change us going forward.” As the two discuss Wallis’ work addressing those in need within the faith community and Shore’s work feeding hungry kids and families through the No Kid Hungry campaign, these two change-makers reflect on the need for leadership – political and otherwise - now more than ever. “SNAP [the federal food stamp program] is maybe the most effective way to serve people’s immediate needs and revitalize the economy at the same time... We need politicians from both sides of the aisle to prioritize poor people,” Wallis believes. “One of our responsibilities from a leadership point of view is to help people see how we can make some permanent changes, so that the next time there’s such a crisis, the vulnerable are not as vulnerable,” says Shore.
On October 30, 2019, Share Our Strength held its first ever No Kid Hungry Leadership Summit. Activists, philanthropists, teachers, chefs and other thought leaders gathered to collaborate and share best practices in the fight to end childhood hunger. This special episode of Add Passion and Stir features some of the highlights from that day. “It is just a symptom that children are hungry in this country… and the truth of the matter is that the real issue is poverty.” -George Jones, CEO of Bread for the City “If you want to lead, you have to follow. You have to follow great principles.” - John Miller, President and CEO of Denny’s Corporation“We have to find a way to connect this abundance of agriculture that we have with the children that need it the most. And that fuels the economy.” - Dorothy McAuliffe, Former first lady of Virginia “As the mother of a school teacher, it is really important that we are there for our education system because that's the best way we can look to the future.” - Renee Grisham, philanthropist “If I'm trying to teach a student who has food insecurity or who hasn't eaten, it's like trying to put a roof on a house with no foundation.” – Julie Pittman, Teacher in Rutherford County Schools, North Carolina Listen in as some of the most dedicated champions in the fight against child hunger share what Billy Shore describes as their “constancy of purpose.”
How does food both create conflict and provide a foundation for cultural integration and inclusion? American University professor and Stimson Center Distinguished Fellow Johanna Mendelson Forman and Foodhini founder Noobtsaa Philip Vang join hosts Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss gastrodiplomacy in the US and abroad. “Refugee food… is very popular and growing because this is the way you learn that the people who are villainized and made into statistics are not that – they are human beings,” says Forman, who teaches the wildly popular course in ‘Conflict Cuisine.’ Vang founded Foodhini to provide opportunities for refugees and immigrants to make a living through sharing their culture’s food. “All the different communities of diaspora, it’s all the same: they go to a new place, they don’t have anything, but one of the things they do still have is their food,” he says. This ‘perfect pairing’ of guests has worked together for years: Forman acts as a business mentor for Vang and Vang serves as advisor on several of Forman’s class projects. “You hit the industry at a time when there was a greater consciousness about refugees and the power that food has, and you’ve done such an incredible job,” Forman tells Vang. Vang is appreciative of her support – both personal and professional. “[Foodhini] is how I see the world should be… creating a place where food and culture is not overlooked,” he believes. Hear how food can create conflict but also how it can bring communities together on this intriguing episode of Add Passion and Stir.
In this episode, we talk with a total rock star in the philanthropic world, BILL SHORE, the Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Share Our Strength, which is the parent company of campaigns like No Kid Hungry & Cooking Matters; Billy chats with us about picking the right battles.THOUGHT #1Pick battles that are big enough to matter but small enough to win - Jonathan KozolTHOUGHT #2We are kept keen on the grindstone of pain and necessity – HG WellsCONNECT:Website: www.ShareOurStrenth.orgWebsite: www.NoKidHungry.orgAdd Passion & Stir (podcast) - http://addpassionandstir.com/?_ga=2.236996928.1963043358.1574222744-831328515.1561957241The Cathedral Within (book) - https://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-Within-Transforming-Giving-Something/dp/0375758291Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nokidhungry/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nokidhungry/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billyshore/Twitter: @nokidhungryEmail: bshore@strength.orgBRAND & RESOURCE MENTIONS:Dine Out - https://dine.nokidhungry.orgCooking Matters - www.CookingMatters.orgJonathan Kozol - www.JonathanKozol.comHG Wells - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._WellsKat Cole - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kat_ColeAmanda Hite - http://btcrevolutions.com/#aboutDeloitte - www.Deloitte.comEl Monte School District - http://web.emcsd.orgCBS/Scott Peely - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homeless-children-the-hard-times-generation-27-06-2011/Project Ethiopia - https://www.project-ethiopia.orgWalt Disney World's Dreamers & Doers - https://www.wftv.com/news/local/15-central-florida-students-selected-as-disney-dreamers-and-doers-shining-stars-/944453994Elon Musk (Space X) - https://www.spacex.com/elon-muskBig Kettle Drum - www.BigKettleDrum.comHard Rock International – www.HardRock.comRock ‘n Roll With It: Overcoming the Challenge of Change (Brant Menswar) – www.RocknRollWithIt.comCulture That Rocks: How to Revolutionize Your Company’s Culture (Jim Knight) – www.CultureThatRocks.comCannonball Kids’ cancer – www.CannonballKidscancer.orgKeppler Speakers - www.KepplerSpeakers.comCertified Rock Star - www.CertifiedRockStar.comThoughts That Rock – www.ThoughtsThatRock.comSpectacle Photography (Show/Website Photos) – www.spectaclephoto.comJeffrey Todd “JT” Keel (Show Music) - https://www.facebook.com/jtkeelBILL SHORE'S BIO:Billy Shore is the executive chair of Share Our Strength, which through proven, effective campaigns like No Kid Hungry and Cooking Matters, connects people who care to ideas that work. Since founding Share Our Strength in 1984 with his sister Debbie, Billy has led the organization in raising more than $600 million to fight hunger and poverty, and has won the support of national leaders in business, government, health and education, sports and entertainment.Billy is also the chair of Community Wealth Partners, Share Our Strength’s for-profit consulting firm that helps leaders and communities solve social problems.Before founding Share Our Strength, served on the senatorial and presidential campaign staffs for former U.S. Senator Gary Hart and as chief of staff to former U.S. Senator Robert Kerrey. In 2014, congressional leaders appointed him to the National Commission on Hunger, a group tasked with finding innovative ways to end hunger in America.In addition to his work with Share Our Strength, Billy is a leading voice in the national conversation on hunger and poverty. He is the author of four books focused on social change, including “Revolution of the Heart” (Riverhead Press, 1995), “The Cathedral Within” (Random House, 1999), “The Light of Conscience” (Random House, 2004) and most recently, “The Imaginations of Unreasonable Men” (Public Affairs, 2010). He also hosts Add Passion and Stir, a weekly podcast that brings together high-profile chefs and change-makers to talk about the central role food plays in social justice.A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Billy earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from George Washington University in Washington, DC. He has been an adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business and an advisor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. From 2001 to 2011, he served as a director of The Timberland Company.Billy was named one of America’s Best Leaders by US News & World Report.
How often do you reflect on the quality of your connections? Debbie Shore shares the power of building a network of connections that can exponentially grow your influence. She talks about building trust that is based on reciprocity – helping others while they help you. Debbie’s experience exemplifies meeting others where they are and understanding that respectful connections with few can ultimately become positive networks with many.Debbie Shore is the Co-Founder of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit that is ending childhood hunger in America through the No Kid Hungry campaign. Together with her brother Billy Shore, Debbie founded Share Our Strength in 1984 with a $2,000 cash advance on a credit card. Since then, Share Our Strength has raised and invested more than $600 million in the fight against hunger, As a member of the executive team, Debbie oversees the organization’s long-term planning and strategy. Debbie has led the development and launch of several key platforms such as Share Our Strength’s culinary events, which include Taste of the Nation®, No Kid Hungry dinners, Dine Out for No Kid Hungry and Chefs Cycle. Now in its 29th year, Taste of the Nation® has raised more than $95 million through hundreds of events in every major market in the country and built a national network of volunteers. She is also the co-creator of Add Passion and Stir: Big Chefs, Big Ideas, the weekly Share Our Strength podcast hosted by Billy Shore, launched in 2016.Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Debbie earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Philosophy from Ohio University. She has experience as a political organizer and fundraiser for former U.S.Senator Gary Hart’s (D-Colorado) presidential campaign. Debbie has lived, studied and traveled extensively in Mexico, and has one daughter, Sofia.
If you had the opportunity to shape the country's agenda for addressing hunger, what solutions would you suggest and how would you drive this needed change? The Leading Voices in Food interviews Billy Shore, executive chairman of No Kid Hungry and its parent organization Share Our Strength. About Billy Shore Billy Shore and his sister Debbie founded Share Our Strength in 1984 and have led the organization in raising more than $600 million dollars to fight hunger and poverty. They have won the support, in this process, of national leaders in business, government health and education, sports and entertainment. Billy spent the early years of his career in national politics, serving on senatorial and presidential campaign staffs and serving as chief of staff to former US Senator Robert Kerrey. He returned to the national stage in 2014 when congress appointing him to the National Commission on Hunger, a bipartisan group given the task of understanding of the best ways to address hunger in the United States. Interview Summary When you and your sister founded Share Our Strength, and after you after you'd spent considerable time in politics, what led you to take on such an ambitious endeavor? Well, there are a couple of things, I guess, behind the creation of Share Our Strength. One was, you know, my experience in politics led me to believe that there were a tremendous number of talented people around the country who wanted to contribute to solutions in our community. Politics might not have been the vehicle for them and as politics has become more specialized and required people to write big checks and donate to political action committees, that's not for everybody. But as I traveled around the country working for Senator Bob Kerrey before that, Senator Gary Hart, I was just struck by how, you know, how many people had something to share, literally had a strength to share. And so the question became, could we create some vehicle, some platform for them to do that? And the issue of hunger had always been one of interest to me. It just seems so incongruous, in our country. I remember when I first started working on the Hill, there had been a physician's taskforce, a group of doctors who'd gone to Mississippi and some others who'd worked with Bobby Kennedy as he toured Mississippi Delta in Appalachia. And it just always seemed like this is not something that we should have to have in the United States. Can you describe the work of Share Our Strength? So Share Our Strength is really focused on childhood hunger in particular. We feel like that, of all the issues that we could be working on in hunger or poverty, that it is the most solvable. For many years we were probably better known for the entrepreneurial ways in which we generated funds. So we're a nonprofit organization that works with a lot of businesses and corporations to, the way we think about it, not just redistribute wealth but create wealth. But it's a different kind of wealth, what we call it community wealth because it goes back into the communities that we serve. So we do lots of cause related marketing campaigns, lots of food and wine events with the culinary community. We started early on organizing chefs and restaurant tours because they made their livelihoods from feeding people and we thought they would feel a connection to the issue of hunger. And so we make grants to about 400 other nonprofits who deal with hunger around the United States. And over the last eight to 10 years we've used our grants and whatever influence we have to try to steer those organizations towards focusing on some very specific milestones as they relate to childhood hunger. Particularly getting kids enrolled in programs like school breakfast, like summer meals, programs, even the afterschool and supper programs. It seems like one of the few issues that everybody can get behind almost no matter what their political persuasion. While certainly for childhood hunger, there's a lot of bipartisan support for it. And I think people recognize that children are the most vulnerable and the least responsible for the plight that they're suffering. The challenge, and so we work, you know, across the aisle. We are very bipartisan. We have colleagues in the anti-hunger community that, you know, if a member of Congress or a governor or others disagree with them, they tend to, you know, find a way to thump them. We don't do that. We were more bridge builders, I think than we are bomb throwers. But the challenge is that although everyone is in favor of feeding a hungry child, not everybody is in favor of supporting that child's parents. And the truth is that the best thing we could do for children is to make sure that their families are supported. That a mom and dad have jobs, have healthcare, have affordable housing, have the things they need so that they can feed their own kids. We're getting better at that. You know, there's a man named Arthur Brooks at the American Enterprise Institute and one of the things he said that really struck me is we've made poverty more bearable through programs like school lunch and school breakfast and many of the things we support but we haven't necessarily made it more escapable. And we need to find ways to do both. Share Our Strength has done a good job of making it more bearable. We made sure that kids at least have at a minimum the food they need to have a chance of doing well in school. So you're telling me about making it easier for parents to feed their children. But it sounds like much of your work is being done through the schools. So how do those two things square with one another? Yeah. Well, our focus really has been schools and so for the last eight or 10 years we've worked with governors, with mayors, with school superintendents to make sure that schools are doing everything they can to enroll every eligible child into programs like school breakfast and summer meals, even when the schools are closed. About half of eligible kids have been participating eight or nine years ago. Now it's closer to 60 percent. I'm pretty confident that we'll get it to 70 percent in the next couple years. In a triage sense that's been our first and most focused effort. But now that we've had as much success as we've had, we've added 3 million kids to school breakfast. We built tens of thousands of summer meal sites when the schools are closed. We're starting to think about how do we not only support the child, but you know, put the parents or the whoever the adult caregiver is in a place to be able to help these kids. And that's one of our next challenges. We need to think carefully about how to do that. You host a weekly podcast series yourself called Add Passion and Stir that brings together high profile chefs with change-makers to talk about the central role that food plays in social justice. Can you tell us a little bit more about the social justice part of this? Well, you know, hunger and food are really related to almost everything else that we care about. They're related to not only the health of somebody who's hungry and their nutritional levels, but they're also related to their ability to focus and do well at school. They're related to the environment in really profound ways. The way we grow and harvest our food has a tremendous impact on environmental issues. And you know, the group that almost always suffers when we're not attentive to the social justice side of this, and this is the reason I think it's such an important social justice issue, are those who are most vulnerable and most voiceless, those who don't have the ability to kind of fight for themselves. And so we see food and hunger as related to all of these issues and it's important to have a conversation. If enough people cared about hungry kids or hunger, we probably wouldn't have it as a problem in the United States. So we try to look for the issues that people do care about: education, the quality of our schools, healthcare, housing, the environment, and help underscore and illustrate the connections between those issues and hunger. You've been working on this now for a number of years, do you see improvement in the poverty and hunger crisis that existed in the United States now? You mentioned some statistics in your first podcast, but tell us more about your thoughts on how things are moving. Are we getting better at doing this? Yeah, I think we actually are getting a lot better, particularly on the issue of hunger more so than on the issue of poverty. But, I would say both have actually improved. You know, it's relative. Some of us remember pictures of Bobby Kennedy visiting the Mississippi Delta and kids running around in bare feet and the dirt and, you know, there's still a little bit of that, but not a lot. So, families who are poor today, tend to have some of the basic minimums that most of us need to navigate the world. I constantly get asked about like, is that family really poor? Because I saw that they have a cell phone. Well, you can't do anything without a cell phone in our world today, right? You can't make a doctor's appointment, you can't download your benefits if you're receiving any type of benefits. So, yeah, so in relative terms, things have improved in and hunger in particular. There are a lot fewer hungry kids than there were even just 10 years ago. I think we've cut almost in half the number of and reduced by 50 percent the number of kids in this country who are hungry on a chronic basis. I think what we haven't done a good job of is for those families and individuals who were, if you think of it as kind of like the bottom quintile economically, even during good economic times during the Clinton administration and during the current job growth that we're seeing with only three point nine percent unemployment in the US, there's still a lot of families that don't have the skills and the training and the education that they need to be part of that. And they're struggling. Do you attribute the improvement to the private donors and government putting more money into the effort to address food insecurity and hunger Are we better at using the existing money or why are things better now? I think people have coalesced around the idea that that children need to be invested in and supported. And I think one of the things that we're seeing politically is that both Democrats and Republicans are willing to do what they have to do to support kids. So one of the really interesting experiences I had was going to a governor in Colorado about eight or nine years ago to say, this was Governor Ritter, a democratic governor, a former peace corps volunteer who worked on nutrition issues in Zambia. So he really cared about this and at the time that I went to talk to Governor Ritter, Colorado was 47th lowest in the United States and the percentage of kids who were participating in these programs. And he said, well, what does that mean? And I said, well, here's all the negative effects it's having on your kids, but it also means that you're leaving about $125,000,000 in Washington that could only be used to buy bread from your bakers and milk from your dairy farmers to feed your kids. And, and he looked at his chief of staff, a woman named Roxanne White. And he said, Roxy says that, is that possibly true? And she did a little back of the envelope calculation and said, yes, Governor, I'm afraid it is. And then he looked at me and he said, well, why did we need the guy in the blue blazer from Washington to come tell us that? Right? How could we not know that? And I know to me, it's an example of how there's a set of logistical issues that are barriers to kids getting the resources they need. But there's also this political issue of them being voiceless, right? So a really good governor doesn't even know that this program exists because kids don't vote. They don't make campaign contributions. They don't have lobbyists. And unless some of us act as advocates on their behalf, and as there's been more and more of that over the last 10 years, democratic and Republican governors, I mean, we've been assiduously bipartisan at Share our Strength and with the No Kid Hungry Campaign, they've all had the same reaction of Governor Ritter, whether they're Democrat, Republican, older, young, male or female. What do I have to do to get these resources to my kids? And I think if politically, if people have some line of sight into where their resources are going--kids in their community, then I think they're going to support it. They're even willing to sacrifice for it. You've seen a lot of communities over the last 10 years. Pass referendums, ballot questions that raise their own taxes because they're not sending their money to Washington, which needs to be done as well, but they're investing in kids that they can see in the neighborhoods that they can drive through. So you're talking about the powerful impact Federal funding for these programs can have. Does the fate of such funding vary from administration to administration? These federal funds have had a lot of bipartisan support over the years. You know, going back to the generals and admirals that we've talked about coming after World War II and talking to Congress. The programs like school lunches and school breakfast have so much support and such a track record of making a difference that they're actually exempt from the automatic budget cuts of sequestration. They have very little impact on the budget in the scheme of things. To these families and kids, of course they're critical, but in relative terms, they're small dollars. So they've had a lot of bipartisan support and whether it's been a Republican president and a Republican administration that oversees the programs or Democrat. These programs have continued to work and most of them by the way, are executed by governors. That, that's where they really play out at the state level. And governors tend to be less ideological, more problem solving than members of Congress. So a major initiative of Share Our Strength is the No Kid Hungry effort. That's a pretty ambitious goal--to have no child hungry in the United States. Do you think that's attainable and what will take to accomplish that? Yeah, I really do. I think we're going to have kids in this country who are poor and whose families live in poverty and we're going to have kids who have families who struggle with food insecurity, but that doesn't mean kids need to be hungry. So we've adopted what we think of as just kind of a common sense definition of kids are getting three meals a day. They may have lots of other needs and lots of other problems, but if they're getting three meals a day of healthy meals, good quality food, nutritious food, we can't say that they're hungry. And we're getting close to the point in this country where through a combination of schools, family supports like the SNAP program of some private efforts like food banks and others, we're getting pretty close to the point where every kid is getting three meals a day. We're not all the way there yet, but we're close. You know, I imagine listeners are feeling as I do now, that you're an incredibly inspiring person in a great person to be leading this effort and the stakes are incredibly high. Given how many children and others are affected by food insecurity, what can people do in addition to cheering you on from the sidelines? Well, you know, I'm glad you asked. I love that question because I feel like this issue of hunger, childhood hunger in the United States is one that lends itself to everybody being involved. It's not like we're waiting for somebody to invent a new vaccine or to fly around the world and negotiate peace in the Middle East. There's a way for everybody to be involved. Obviously people can donate and go to the No Kid Hungry a website, but people can volunteer at a variety of anti-hunger organizations in their community. They can be advocates, making sure that their members of Congress and their governors and mayors know these programs exist. They can be a voice for kids in the school system to make sure that they have access to these programs. There's, there's literally a role for everybody on this issue. Produced by Deborah Hill, Duke World Food Policy Center