Food and culture writer Alicia Kennedy and chef advocacy trainer and Table81 founder Katherine Miller discuss food justice and how we can make important improvements in our food system. “We operate with this idea that we should be able to have any [food] we want whenever we want it, at whatever price that we wanna pay for it,” says Miller. “It's an artificially constructed system that keeps our food affordable in certain places and makes it unaffordable and unattainable in other places.” Kennedy writes about food justice, food sovereignty, and food apartheid. “Food justice is not merely the ability to access fresh food. It is the space, time, energy, and ability to cook it and serve it in a way that provides a nourishing, complete and aesthetically pleasing dish according to one's cultural standards,” she states. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Daron Babcock, CEO of Bonton Farms located in a low-income neighborhood in South Dallas. Bonton Farms is one of the largest urban farms in the United States and its programs are addressing a variety of barriers residents face including housing, education, nutrition, and economic self-sufficiency. “[Systemic inequity] is built on the faulty idea that there's this American dream that everybody can access and if you don't, then there's something wrong with you,” says Babcock. “My new neighbors just happened to be born into a place that had very little to offer them, and their human potential got squashed in the process… The bad news is yes, we designed that and we have to own up to it. But the good news is, we can redesign our future - it doesn't have to stay that way.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy Chen, founder/CEO of Propel and Ofek Lavian, founder/CEO of Forage, explain how they are harnessing the power of technology to ensure more people can easily access government food benefits. “We believe that well-fed people have many problems, but hungry people have only one,” saysk Lavian. Both companies make it easier for people to access and maximize benefits online and through apps. “We build technology because we see it as the tool that is underappreciated and underutilized in this sector to create the outcomes of… safety net programs meeting their promise for Americans,” says Chen.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bestselling author Thomas Kostigen talks about climate change and specifically how we can all decrease our carbon footprints by making different food choices. “If we were to embrace more types of food rather than what is just basically pushed upon us by the food system, then we might have a chance to change things in a bigger way,” he says. ““It isn't that easy to understand how much [each] food stores carbon.” Kostigen recently partnered with actor and philanthropist Robert Downey Jr. on Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time, which serves as a guide to help us all make better food choices.  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; and American 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 citizens See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special encore presentation, we re-visit our conversation with CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp, who shares her perspectives on the current events in the Middle East, her own mental health challenges, and ending child hunger. “Stand up for your friends, because they're hurting right now, and they need every voice they need, every hug they need, every text or email or call you can make,” she says about the war between Israel and Hamas. “Problems like hunger and poverty are not going to be solved at an international or even a federal level, they're going be solved at a community level.” These issues are interconnected. Listen in to learn how to help kids here and abroad. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every other Wednesday, “Add Passion and Stir” shares the inspirational stories of individuals who set their sights on a problem and use their strengths to create solutions. Hosted by Share Our Strength’s founder Billy Shore, a leading advocate in food justice for 40 years, we convene leaders from the worlds of hospitality, education, government, and beyond tackling issues like hunger, systemic racism, and access to education. Join us to learn how you can share your strength. Follow us on Twitter @AddPassionStir and Instagram @billshore and like us on Facebook.

Jack Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, talks with us about the science around trauma and toxic stress in child development. “I never talk about toxic stress or excessive stress activation without also talking about adaptation and resilience and the fact that you can build resilience against that,” he says. “There's huge variability and sensitivity to these kinds of traumas… the early experiences shift the odds, but they don't determine exactly what's going to happen.” Shonkoff also shares broader insights about how science can be helpful to the public. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp shares her perspectives on the current events in the Middle East, her own mental health challenges, and ending child hunger. “Stand up for your friends, because they're hurting right now, and they need every voice they need, every hug they need, every text or email or call you can make,” she says about the war between Israel and Hamas. “Problems like hunger and poverty are not going to be solved at an international or even a federal level, they're going be solved at a community level.” These issues are interconnected. Listen in to learn how to help kids here and abroad. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dan Pallotta talks with us about the conversation he ignited with his 2013 TED Talk about the way nonprofit organizations are funded. “We want the nonprofit sector to solve huge problems. We want the nonprofit sector to be able to dream gigantic dreams,” he says. However, there are still many problems with how nonprofits are evaluated and how people and other entities choose to fund them. “I would say that that conversation is where gay marriage was in… about 1945. We have a long way to go.” Pallotta’s new feature-length documentary UnCharitable, featuring stories from figures like Edward Norton and Darren Walker, exposes the dark side of philanthropy with a call to action for a radical new way of giving. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aldore Collier, former editor at Ebony and Jet magazines, speaks with Billy and Debbie Shore about his recent expose article about the racist roots of health problems in Metcalfe Park, Milwaukee, WI. “Residents talk about being stifled by an “invisible net” that blocks advancement and makes it nearly impossible to maintain good health,” Collier wrote. He describes the inaction by local and state governments. “It's not unique to Milwaukee, but I think the difference is they did not try to come up with solutions to replace what was lost.” However, Metcalfe Park residents are activating and Collier’s article helped bring attention to this critical situation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Daron Babcock, CEO of Bonton Farms located in a low-income neighborhood in South Dallas. Bonton Farms is one of the largest urban farms in the United States and its programs are addressing a variety of barriers residents face including housing, education, nutrition, and economic self-sufficiency. “[Systemic inequity] is built on the faulty idea that there's this American dream that everybody can access and if you don't, then there's something wrong with you,” says Babcock. “My new neighbors just happened to be born into a place that had very little to offer them, and their human potential got squashed in the process… The bad news is yes, we designed that and we have to own up to it. But the good news is, we can redesign our future - it doesn't have to stay that way.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

James Beard Award-winning food writer Mark Bittman talks about the relationship between food and critical issues like climate change, public health and social justice. “You can’t fix any justice issues, environmental issues, nutritional issues without fixing food. Food is at the center of just about everything,” claims Bittman. “It’s not going to happen from the top down. The push has to come from lots and lots of ordinary people. That push needs to be focused on food, but it also needs to focus on racial justice and gender equality and so on down the line,” he says. Join us for an important conversation with one of America’s foremost food writers about why fixing our broken food system can help solve many other critical problems we face. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Children’s advocate and social justice icon Hubie Jones and Sweet Home Café (at the National Museum of African American History and Culture) executive chef Jerome Grant discuss their perspectives on race in America and commitment to living purpose-driven lives. “On to the stage came Dr. King and he went into this oratory that absolutely blew me away... By the time I left Jordan Hall, I felt that I was levitating,” Jones recalls about a night in 1956. Grant shares a similar experience about opening Sweet Home Café. “Walking in that cafeteria the day before opening and seeing these murals on our walls, seeing these awesome quotes, the picture of the Woolworth dine-in boycott… You see the resiliency of us as African Americans and what we contributed to American society. There’s no feeling like that at all,” he says. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congressman Marc Molinaro (NY-19) describes how he is helping to build an impactful, compassionate government that truly helps people. “There are too few [politicians] who care about the results; they care more about making a point than making a difference,” he laments. He is vehement about how government does its work. “We need to be purposeful in that what we offer in aid and assistance needs to be about helping people get from where they are to a position of empowerment and independence.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti talks about local government solutions to problems like hunger and poverty in President Biden’s hometown. “We're working really, really hard to improve quality of life and to prove the case to people, to families, whether they've been here for generations or whether they're first generation that the American dream is alive.” Mayor Cognetti is an active participant in the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, a nonpartisan coalition working in partnership with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign to ensure that every child has the healthy food they need to thrive. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

As school years end for America's children, hunger champions like Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) and food bank executive director Rhonda Chafin focus on providing summer meals. “There are some things you can live without. Food is not one of them,” McGovern says. He is working in Congress to extend school meal and SNAP benefits to ensure kids are fed year-round. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Chafin oversees the delivery of summer meals to thousands of children living in very rural places. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Chafin oversees the delivery of summer meals to thousands of children living in very rural places. “It is a variety of stories and unfortunate situations that put the child in the center of everything, and they just don't have the resources they need…They just don't have access to food. So that's the challenges and the scope. The scale of what we serve is about 3,000 square miles of some of the most mountainous rural areas in northeast Tennessee.”  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chef, entrepreneur, and Food Network host Robert Irvine was appalled at the rate of food insecurity among US military families. “It is incomprehensible… that any member of our military that serves this great country could be worried about being deployed and that their family can't be fed or housed in a safe environment,” he says. In this episode, he describes how the Robert Irvine Foundation is helping service members and their families. He also talks about the lessons in his newest book about how to make change. “One person, one foundation, one, one group, can't do it - as much as we all wish we could, it’s not possible. But collectively and intertwined, we can change the world.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.