Add Passion and Stir: Recent Episodes

Share Our Strength

Food plays a central role in our lives — from the health of people and the environment to a child’s educational achievement. Every Wednesday, “Add Passion and Stir” explores the role of food in society by convening leaders from the worlds of food, education, policy, government, and beyond committed to ensuring everyone has access to the food they need. “Add Passion and Stir” is hosted by Share Our Strength’s founder Billy Shore, a leading advocate in food justice for 40 years. Join us for conversations about food, justice and how we can share our strength to help end hunger. Follow us on Twitter @AddPassionStir and Instagram @billshore and like us on Facebook.

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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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Gina Reardon owns a professional catering business in Kansas City. ImpulseSV streams video games on Twitch and YouTube to well over a million followers. Both have used their unique talents to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to feed hungry kids. Impulse devotes streams to encourage his supporters to donate to No Kid Hungry. “I have three young ones of my own, and just the idea that there are children just like them out in the world that aren't able to get any food and go to bed starving, it just really breaks my heart,” he shares. “It's my love language, and speaking that language on behalf of this organization has rewarded me in ways that I can't even begin to enumerate,” says Reardon, who uses bake sales, dinners, and other culinary events to support No Kid Hungry.

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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.

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Brother Luck, celebrity chef and author featured on “Chopped,” “Top Chef,” and Beat Bobby Flay, discusses how he uses his experience with mental health in the restaurant industry to help others. “I've realized over the years, as I've gone through the healing process, that I have to speak up and be vulnerable and live through my pain because somebody else is living that story right now.” He voices concern for his colleagues in the restaurant industry. “Mental health is something we've ignored for so many years, especially in the restaurant industry. We've been built on bravado and pride and ego… we didn't know how to label it. We didn't know how to discuss it. We would never discuss it.”

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Mavis-Jay Sanders, chef and activist, discusses what motivates her to use her culinary career to fight food injustice in Black and low-income communities. “When Eric Garner got murdered and there were protests in the streets, I was working in a fine dining restaurant… I couldn't straddle that fence anymore; I couldn't be in a place where these issues didn't matter.” She decided to take her skills to more accessible restaurants and nonprofit organizations. “I do love a little razzle dazzle, but I also wanna make sure that the people who are eating [my food] feel cared for. I wanna make sure that every single person that I come in contact with has the ability to eat.”

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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.

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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 Hawaii
Dr. Sara Bleich, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, USDA
Dr. Miguel A. Cardona, Secretary of Education
John Giles, Mayor, Mesa, Arizona
Jennie Gordon, First Lady of Wyoming
Levar Stoney, Mayor, Richmond, Virginia
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture

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Across America, kids are headed back to school, but nearly 12 million kids in America face hunger. Children need three meals a day to grow up happy, healthy, and strong but for many hunger is a daily reality. In this first episode of a three-part series exploring why food is the most important school supply, you’ll hear directly from those affected by hunger and those witnessing hunger in the classroom. You’ll also begin to understand the opportunity we have to SOLVE the problem of childhood hunger.

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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.

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Kirsten Saenz Tobey, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer of Revolution Foods, describes how the B Corp she co-founded is helping kids now and in the future. “Our focus has always been to build lifelong healthy eaters, and to do that through primarily school and institutional food systems and access to high quality, healthy food,” she says.

One of Revolution Foods’ keys to this strategy is getting kids food they like. “Every time we design a new dish or a new meal, our chefs go out into school cafeterias to test it with kids and get feedback on which they liked and which they didn't like as much.”

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The First Lady of Hawaii, Dawn Amano-Ige, is fighting childhood hunger in Hawaii with a simple tool: breakfast. In partnership with No Kid Hungry, Ige launched the Jumpstart Breakfast program in 2019 to ensure that children across Hawaii had access to a nutritious breakfast regardless of their ability to pay.

As Ige notes, “As a teacher and educator, I know that if a child is hungry in the classroom it makes learning so much more difficult.” But breakfast is just one part of a broader initiative to end food insecurity for children in Hawaii – an effort that has been embraced across the state: “Hawaii is a small community, so when the community finds out that there’s a need, they all do their part in helping resolve the problem.”

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Businesses can have significant impact on the health of communities. C.D. Glin, Vice President of the PepsiCo Foundation, and Kim Fortunato, the first woman to serve as president of the Campbell Soup Foundation, are leading the way for their organizations. “We're grant makers, but we're also change makers… We think about ourselves as being demand driven, demand responsive, participatory, and we put local ownership at the center of a lot of our investments,” says Glin.

“The opportunity for Campbell as a food manufacturer… is to really lead the change in elevating the recognition that school nutrition is not necessarily equitable across this country,” Fortunato states. And this impact extends to developing solutions to societal problems. “When you look at successful change in our country or beyond, you see an intersection of a diverse group of stakeholders, including [private], public sector and government stakeholders,” advises Fortunato. “All three sectors… coming together for collaborative approaches - that's the only way we're going to really impact the community for the long term,” Glin concludes.

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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 Carrawan 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.

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Brandon Chrostowski discovered his career path in restaurants after an arrest nearly landed him in prison. Years later, he founded EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute to provide training in culinary arts and hospitality for formerly incarcerated adults in Cleveland, OH.

“’Broken,’ ‘discounted,’ ‘damaged,’ ‘a threat’ - this is what the majority of people think about someone who's returning home from prison,” says Chrostowski. EDWINS helps change that perception. “It's not the scarlet letter, it is in fact a golden ticket to new places.” T

he institute also provides assistance with finding employment, free housing, basic medical care, clothing, job coaching, and literacy programs. Join us to hear about how people are overcoming their worst moments to find success and stability.

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In 2016, when she wasn’t busy as an attorney, Joanne Lee Molinaro started blogging about food, heartbreak, cooking vegan, love, insecurity, and everything in between as The Korean Vegan. As she explains, “I don’t share my stories simply to share my stories… I do it because I feel there is a kernel of truth in my stories that more people need to hear.”

Today, she shares her truth with more than 4 million followers on TikTok and beyond in videos that combine veganized Korean recipes like Miyeok Guk and Kimchi with stories about the immigrant experience in America. The central thread: showing love through food.

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Chopped celebrity chef Marc Murphy spoke with us right after he returned from seven weeks feeding Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland with Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen (WCK).

Since the invasion of Ukraine, WCK’s Relief Team has been on the ground supporting families sheltering in the country as well as refugees in six countries with nearly 200,000 hot, nourishing meals every day. Murphy was both inspired and changed by his experience. “Humanity has just gone on display there in a beautiful way and people just show up and are like… ‘I'm here to help,’ and it was really amazing.”

He describes the difficulties of seeing the horrible situations of the Ukrainians, as well as the moments of hope when humans help humans. “In the midst of everything, you would have these moments and just sit in the kitchen and cry… I want people to understand people, and how humanity is connected through food, and how important food is.”

Join us for a first-hand account from a city on the border of the war.

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Frances Moore Lappé published the groundbreaking Diet for a Small Planet in 1971, changing the way Americans thought about food policy and world hunger. A 50th Anniversary edition of this seminal work was released in 2021, adding to Lappé’s list of 20 cookbooks with the underlying theme of living democracy. “We have to think of all of life as participating with one another in order to make big decisions that enhance life for all, because we're all connected and we're all affected,” she says. The Small Planet Institute - which she co-founded with her daughter Anna - channels resources to democratic social movements worldwide. “We have to feel deep indignation about what I call our taproot problem, and that is democracy... Democracy is about whose voices get heard.”

Join us for a timely discussion with Frances Moore Lappé, author, activist, and past recipient of the James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award for her lifelong impact on the way people all over the world think about food, nutrition, and agriculture.

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Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Reyna Montoya and her family were fleeing violence when they migrated to Arizona in 2003. She was in the 8th grade, did not speak English, was undocumented, and remembers feeling shame and anger at her parents for “bringing her to a place she didn’t like and didn’t belong.” It was traumatic.

Naming this traumatic experience and working towards healing is central to Montoya’s work. In 2016, she founded Aliento, an organization that supports undocumented, DACA, and mixed immigration status families to transform trauma into hope and action. “I see brilliance and talent in our immigrant community…we remind them that they have a voice, that they are powerful, and that they belong in this community.”

Using art as a pathway to community healing and connection, Aliento champions the immigrant experience and works to promote policy and human-centered immigration reform: “We’re people-centered. We imagine a world where we see immigrants, not only as the storytellers but the strategists of their own lives. We have so many solutions we can provide.” Join us for a moving discussion with Reyna Montoya, founder of Aliento, about her vision for a future where “human potential is nurtured and not defined by immigration status.”

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“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.

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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.”

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On today’s very special episode ofAdd 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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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In this conversation from October, 2020, James Beard award-winning Minneapolis chef Ann Kim discusses her immigrant experience, approach to food, and observations about her community in the wake of the George Floyd murder. “It is our job to make changes, educate and learn. We can’t make decisions rooted in fear,” she says.

“People scream when they feel like they’re not being heard. I was trying to listen and I wasn’t quite sure how I was to react, except that I wanted to support the black community,” explains Kim.

Kim talks about her support of the SNAP (food stamps) expansion, drawing on her own family’s experience with government assistance programs. “Keeping kids fed… If we can’t do that, what can we do?,” she says.

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Rachel Sumekh, Founder & CEO of Swipe Out Hunger, discusses hunger on Swipe Out Hunger campuses and the value of activism. “One in three college students in the US today is food insecure. We pitch education and we pitch going to college as a pathway to get out of poverty, and yet our students get there and we cannot deliver on that promise,” says Sumekh.

Swipe Out Hunger is the leading nonprofit addressing hunger among college students with a range of anti-hunger programs in more than 140 colleges. Their flagship program, ‘The Swipe Drive,’ enables students to donate meals to their peers facing food insecurity on campus. “How we define the work really matters… If we see our work as a greater vision of building a world where everyone who wants to get an education has food in their stomachs and has an educational experience that makes them feel welcome and whole and complete… we build a different world.”

Sumekh, who founded the organization with her friends as a college student, encourages listeners to get involved with issues important to them. “This is such an incredible time in our country's history to be an activist, so follow that spark, even if no one in your family understands what that means,” she advises.

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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.”

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Interior designer and philanthropist Charlotte Moss and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker discuss the importance of ending child hunger. Moss selected No Kid Hungry to be the beneficiary of her latest project, 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 to for 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.

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Reverend Jim Wallis, Chair in Faith and Justice at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and Founder of Sojourners, reports on how dozens of faith organizations continue to advocate together for making the Child Tax Credit permanent, among other provisions in the proposed Build Back Better legislation. “We came together across many of our theological and political boundaries in the faith community to support the Child Tax Credit and the other critical factors in this human infrastructure bill.”

Wallis and his fellow faith leaders are fighting for the most vulnerable Americans. “Unfortunately, it continues to be true that when the government wants to tighten its belt, it tightens the belt around the necks of the poor. And when they want to be fiscally responsible, they do it on the backs of the lowest income families and children. And that’s just not wrong. That's sinful… The Bible says that kings and rulers - those who rule - will be defined and will be judged by how they treat the poor and vulnerable.”

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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.”

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Child Tax Credit Series Bonus Content

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) has long been a champion in fighting child poverty. As part of our series on the Child Tax Credit, we spoke with DeLauro about the difference the Credit is making in the lives of families.

Now Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, DeLauro has been a proponent of the Child Tax Credit since 2003. “[The Child Tax Credit] is the most transformative piece of social legislation that we have seen in decades in this country.” She is currently very focused on Congressional negotiations around making the new expansion permanent. “When you don't capture these moments, you lose them for the next 20 or 30 years.”

In this full interview with DeLauro, we hear her staunch commitment to helping children and families. “We have a moral obligation and moral responsibility to do that, and it's a place where government can make a difference,” she concludes.

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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 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.

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Child Tax Credit Series Bonus Content

Congressman 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.

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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 credit was made available to children 17 and under for the first time, the amount of the credit was increased from $2,000 to $3,000 for children 6-17 and from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under six, and it was changed to a monthly payment instead of annual lump sum. Experts estimate these changes could lift as many as five million kids out of poverty.

In this first episode of a series on the Child Tax Credit, Add Passion and Stir welcomes Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and other thought leaders for 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 Strength

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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.

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Television writer, producer and former teen idol Shaun Cassidy talks about telling his story and his My First Crush wines. Cassidy is touring again for the first time in decades, writing and producing NBC’s “New Amsterdam,” and selling wine to support No Kid Hungry.

“’Find your story’ is the theme of my show… when we're born, there's often a story that society or family or our own crazy expectations have written for us, but it's not always the story we're meant to experience… we have to find our own story and the satisfaction in doing that is profound,” says Cassidy about his music tour. “The more personal, the more open you are, the more vulnerable you are to the audience, the more relatable you are.”

He also continues to be excited about helping to end child hunger through his wine making. “Yes, it's a charitable endeavor, but it's also an extraordinary wine and I'm really proud of that… and the fact that it means kids are going to be less hungry than they were the day before this wine came out is huge to me,” he states.

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Award-winning Chez Panisse chef and cookbook author Alice Waters discusses the value of real, regenerative food for our children and our society as a whole. “Once you love nature, you can't make the wrong decision about anything. You don't want to do things that are really destroying the planet. You want to take care of her. Until we feel that way, we will never be able to make the right decisions,” she says.

Waters founded Edible Schoolyard, an experiential learning program at a Berkeley middle school that deepens students’ relationship with food, gardening and cooking skills, and capacity for critical examination of the food system, more than 25 years ago. “The kitchen classroom became a place to teach world history. It's a way to reach a person through all their senses and those are pathways into our minds,” states Waters. “We decided to put our money behind our values to educate the next generation to change the world. I so believe that education is the deep place where we can make systemic change.”

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Award-winning Washington DC chef Kwame Onwuachi (formerly of Kith/Kin) and Salamander Hotels & Resorts Founder & CEO and BET co-founder Sheila Johnson discuss The Family Reunion (LINK) , black culture, and diversity in the hospitality industry. The Family Reunion was an immersive experience presented by Onwuachi in partnership with Food&Wine and Salamander Hotels & Resorts on August 19-22, 2021 where dozens of chefs, culinary and hospitality professionals and a few hundred attendees celebrated diversity in the hospitality community.

“I've been a part of so many food festivals… and I was wondering why there wasn't anything that really just celebrated black contributions to the food industry. We need to have an event that celebrates black and brown contributions to the food industry on a black owned property with a historical context,” says Onwuachi. Johnson is pushing the hospitality industry on diversity and equity. “We're going to grow it, and we will continually shine light on the issues until we can get the problem solved, to really get minority-owned restaurants and hotels… we really want to level the playing field here. No more hiding in the shadows. No more being afraid to move forward,” she declares.

Both are excited for the prospects of bringing so many diverse voices together. “You can imagine the things that are going to happen at this event. People are going to meet each other, they're going to decide to do things together, there's going to be collaborations... It's going to be fascinating to track what comes out of this,” Onwuachi concludes.

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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]

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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.

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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.

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Why should Americans care about hunger around the world? World Food Program USA President and CEO Barron Segar and food and lifestyle personality Sandra Lee join the podcast to talk about their commitment to combatting hunger around the world. “Food is a basic vaccination against chaos. When you don’t have food, you have increased unrest and conflict,” observes Lee.

For both Segar and Lee, the mission is a personal one. Segar recalls the impact of his work in Ethiopia on the South Sudanese border. “I saw so many kids and moms and grandmothers... fleeing violence to stay alive. I saw how they walked for days and weeks… I saw how food literally brought a child and a mom back to life,” he says. Lee shares how she was raised on welfare and foot stamps, "It’s important to remember where you come from, and when you come from a place like that, I think you need to give back." This interview is equal parts awareness building and call to action, “Everybody listening to this show has a voice, but not everybody in the world has a voice. So be the voice for those that are not being heard,” urges Segar.

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Is our divided political culture energizing or suppressing democracy? Former Nebraska Governor and US Senator Bob Kerrey and renowned chef, restaurateur and food activist Tom Colicchio join Billy Shore to discuss the politics of hunger, public education and the role of the citizen in democracy. “The real problem in the food system is [it doesn’t] permit the kind of innovation that will produce a different outcome. You’ve got to create a system whereby the innovators who want to deliver healthy food have an opportunity to get in the door and be successful,” explains Kerrey. Colicchio agrees and talks about the insights he gained from his wife’s (Laurie Silverbush) groundbreaking film about hunger in America, A Place at the Table. “People aren’t hungry in this country because of famine, war or drought. We have enough food to feed people. We don’t have enough political will to feed people,” he notes.

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How do we protect those most vulnerable to poverty and racism? Originally aired in April 2020, Sojourners' Founder Jim Wallis explains how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inequities in our society. “Poverty and racism are preexisting conditions that help you get the disease,” says Wallis. “How can we redeem this time for not just immediate response… but also how this will change us – how we act, how we lead, what we do now - going forward. History is being changed by this, so how will those changes result in our being different going forward?”

Wallis reflects on the need for leadership, 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... What’s clear that government is the only place big enough to respond at a time like this. We need politicians from both sides of the aisle to prioritize poor people,” he believes.

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Originally recorded in December 2020, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof and Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health Director Allison Barlow discuss the struggle for social justice in Native American communities, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Bureau of Indian Education schools only have a 53% high school graduation rate! We are failing them way before they fail us,” suggests Kristof. “One of the greatest prides for parents on a Native reservation is to celebrate their child’s high school graduation. If children there aren’t graduating from high school, it’s because of generations of trauma on top of a really ineffective education system,” Barlow says. “We as a country have had this narrative that when people struggle, it’s because of a lack of personal responsibility and bad choices. When a child born in a certain county has a life expectancy shorter than that of Cambodia, that’s not because that infant is making a bad choice. It’s because we as a society are making bad choices about healthcare, education and jobs,” says Kristof.

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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.

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Why is it so important to nourish ourselves and each other? On a special Father’s Day episode, actor and musician Jeff Bridges and his daughter, Mother’s Empowerment Coach Isabelle Bridges, talk about the importance of nourishing relationships and fighting child hunger. “As you get older, you realize that the value you have and what’s really precious in life are these family relationships,” Jeff says about the inspiration and process of their children’s book, ‘Daddy Daughter Day.’ “I remember reading the Daddy Daughter Day story to you Dad, and you saying, with sparkly eyes, ‘we should turn this into a book, and I will illustrate it,’” recalls Isabelle. “When we have our children, we want to nourish them, and then we go unnourished ourselves. My mission is to help the moms feel nourished on the inside so they have a wellspring to give them,” she continues about her work helping mothers take care of their own needs. Jeff is the official spokesperson of the No Kid Hungry campaign. “[Child hunger] an issue that’s got a lot of hope to it. We can really end childhood hunger here in our country,” he believes.

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In a special Father’s Day episode, Danny Meyer (Shake Shack, Union Square Hospitality Group) and his daughter Hallie Meyer (NYC’s Caffè Panna) share what they have learned from each other and how it has shaped their lives, particularly during the challenges of 2020. Both Danny and Hallie found their way to food by following their desire to do what they love. Hallie’s path ran parallel to her father's and she describes how she made it her own. “I do credit you for that, Dad: for setting an example that I can do whatever I want with the business… that there’s not one way to do it,” she says. Danny shares how Hallie has equally taught and inspired him. “I’m so proud of the way she does business and the spirit that she brings to the business… Hallie had a courage and an entrepreneurial spirit and an ability to pivot that really inspired me,” says Danny about his daughter’s response to the pandemic. Hallie and Danny talk about building purpose into their business. For Hallie, that has meant creating a business with social justice at its core and creating partnerships with organizations like Drive Change and Emma's Torch that connect youth and refugees with career opportunities in the food industry. For Danny, he remarks on his luck to be in his industry. “What a privilege to be in a business whose outcome is making feeling people feel better. Who couldn’t use more of that?”

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Can the current pandemic strengthen our resolve to eradicate hunger? Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot describes what she is witnessing on the frontlines of the escalating hunger crisis caused by COVID-19 and the opportunities it presents. “There are lots of opportunities in this pandemic to come out of it better than we were going into it,” she says, referring to the increased public awareness of hunger in America. “Do you really want four-mile-long lines [outside food banks] or would you prefer, as I do, to provide people with the dignity where they can go into a grocery store just like the rest of us?” she asks. She also encourages all of us to be informed voters. “I think we have a responsibility to be well informed about what the people who represent us that we elect, where they stand on issues like hunger,” she concludes.

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Who is responsible for solving our major social problems? Former Massachusetts Governor and Bain Capital Senior Advisor Deval Patrick discusses the roles of government and business in solving our society’s most intractable problems. “[Government] policy is not that interesting or important in the abstract, it matters where it actually touches people.” After his term as governor, he founded and built an impact investment fund that helped push the industry. “No one sector is going to be able to solve those issues alone, and business has to be part of solutions because it’s so fricking big. What if we could prove that [business has] a false choice; if you could get superior returns and measurable, demonstrable positive human or environmental impact at the same time.”

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Why does it matter who tells the story or who is behind the camera? Food & Wine Editor-in-Chief Hunter Lewis discusses the evolution of how the magazine thinks about representation and social justice as a result of the pandemic and racial reckoning. “As we think about our role in food media, we are thinking much more intentionally not just about who we’re telling stories about, but who gets to tell the story. Who are we commissioning to tell that story? Who are we commissioning to shoot that photograph?,” he says. “[Our readers] are coming in for recipes and they want to be surprised and delighted, but there’s always a deeper story around food to tell.” He also shares his insights on the future of the hospitality and restaurant industries. “So many things that are continuing to shake out… You’ve got leaders in the industry who have been changing the way that they do business, changing their models, thinking about equity, and thinking about a more livable wage.”

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How do you get a seat at the decision-making table? Actor and black-ish executive producer Anthony Anderson talks about how black change agents like himself participate in societal decisions and help involve diverse communities. “I like to think of us as agents of change… what makes [black-ish] timely is that we talk about real issues and how it affects us in real time… telling the story in an organic way.” Anderson is also a change agent in his own community. “You can’t have a seat at the table unless you're moving the needle and the way the needle moves in America is economically… It's about investing and reinvesting in yourself and in your community. And then that way you are a force to be reckoned with because now you have the ability to make change, real change.”

Anthony Anderson is an Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor and the star and executive producer of ABC’s critically-acclaimed sitcom “black-ish” where he portrays Andre “Dre” Johnson. He also currently hosts the ABC game show “To Tell the Truth.” Anderson is also executive producer of both “black-ish” spin offs “grown-ish” and “mixed-ish” as well as “Road Trippin’” which airs on SnapChat. Anderson has received six Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and three Critics Choice nominations for his role on “black-ish.”

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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. Host Billy Shore connects with Chef Humm to learn more about what motivated the change: "My hope is that we can show that we can create these magical moments that are luxurious and delicious without using meat."

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.

As part of this episode, we 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.

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How can American learn and grow from the COVID19 public health crisis? U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks child hunger, economic reforms, and this generation’s opportunity to step forward boldly in response to the pandemic. During this year’s Share Our Strength Rural Childhood Hunger Summit, keynote speaker Vilsack describes how COVID19 has affected so many American families, and how the American Rescue Plan is a critical first step to rebuild our country’s economy. “Once you have an understanding of the cracks that have been shown, it is up to us – this generation of Americans – to respond to that challenge,” he says.

“What a great legacy it would be for this generation of Americans who have gone through COVID, to take a horrific tragedy and turn it into an amazing opportunity to provide help and assistance to make sure no child is hungry,” Vilsack believes.

Join us for a conversation with an influential leader within the Biden and Obama Administrations.

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James Beard Award-winning chef JJ Johnson describes the challenges of black business ownership and how to support black-owned businesses. “Don’t say you care about black lives if you can’t walk into a black-owned business and look on the shelves and give it the same amount of money that you give a white-owned business,” says Johnson. There continue to be systemic barriers, as well. “When I was applying for my PPP money, I got declined three times. There are a lot of black-owned businesses that just weren’t able to get PPP money to stay alive,” Johnson explains about the Payment Protection Program within the CARES Act that has provided support for small businesses during the pandemic.

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Iconic singer-songwriter and environmental activist Carole King talks music, activism, and the power of a meaningful gesture. King shares how her more than 50 years of activism has helped her see how interconnected issues like the environment, immigration, education and hunger truly are. “We are all connected as humans, whatever our party is, and we are all connected on the issues because the issues are interconnected,” King believes. “Hate is a feeling and it’s genuine and people feel it, but the way it has been misused and abused by so many people in politics is ugly… I want to encourage love and I want to encourage civil discourse.” This commitment is evidenced in King's decades-long fight to protect national forests in and around her adopted state of Idaho as an advocate for the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. “I take so much joy from the proximity to nature. It is intrinsically heartwarming. It nourishes us,” she says.

Join us for a conversation with an icon who shares her strength through her music and beyond.

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Is a lie still a lie if enough people believe it? ‘Good Morning America’ co-anchor and former White House Communications Director George Stephanopoulos discusses the media and how politics and public opinion have shifted over the past 20 years and during the pandemic. “A crisis like this hits everyone. It’s not people who haven’t been working, it’s not people who have been irresponsible, it’s not people who are somehow ‘other.’ You see how quickly people can fall from a solid, middle class life into something very close to poverty,” Stephanopoulos notes. “The prospect that [the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit] could become permanent changes is something I had not imagined.”

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Can we shift a historic stigma towards people living in poverty? Princeton poverty researcher and author Kathryn Edin describes welfare reforms in the 1990s that were based on fear that recipients would become dependent on the system and how changes to certain tax credits in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief American Rescue Plan will give more Americans support to move out of poverty. “We have turned 400 years of history about how we treat the poor and think about the poor… on its head,” says Edin. “The message [these new credits] is sending to people who are struggling is, ‘we trust you and we want to support you.’ This is literally the opposite of the message we’ve been sending for over 400 years.” This conversation explores how we can all work to make these new credits permanent.

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How do we continue to care for each other as the pandemic draws to a close? Congressman Mike Thompson from California’s 5th District and influential Sacramento chef Patrick Mulvaney discuss how the pandemic has affected the food and wine industries. Congressmen Thompson and Mulvaney partnered with funders, including No Kid Hungry, Sacramento County, and community members to deliver more than 250,000 meals through schools and seniors during the pandemic. Both changemakers are hopeful about building America stronger after the pandemic. “I’m excited about the things that we can do. If we work together, there’s no stopping us,” Thompson believes. “What I feel now is hope… There’s a sense that any of us that have made it this far are going to live to see the other side,” says Mulvaney.

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How do we dismantle systemic obstacles to equality in our education systems? Former Education Trust President and CEO and former US Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. shares his journey in education and his belief that equity in education is core to equity in society: “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."

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Can you build a successful and fun brand around serious social justice topics? Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream discuss feeding hungry kids, police reform and how businesses can make a difference on social issues. “Passing legislation that is going to reduce child poverty in the US by 40% is huge – it’s pretty much the best news I’ve heard in quite a long time,” says Greenfield about the American Rescue Plan, the latest COVID relief package that includes critical provisions that will help fight the hunger crisis. Ben & Jerry’s is also focused on police reform through the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity. “What we need to seize about this moment is the issue of racial justice… The reality is if we are not able to pivot from protest to policy right now, all those protests were for nothing,” Cohen believes.

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When is philanthropic giving the most meaningful? Bestselling author John Grisham and Share Our Strength Board member Renee Grisham discuss their partnership, philanthropy and why they have made child hunger and police reform their central philanthropic causes. “There is plenty of food in this country… but the framework isn’t always there to get the food on the table for these hungry kids. You have convinced us that this is one problem that can be solved in this country,” John says. “It takes all of us...We all want to feed children, and I see that as a huge bridge builder in a time when we need it,” agrees Renee.

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What will it take for Americans to trust each other again? Long-time New York Times columnist Frank Bruni talks about his days as a restaurant critic, his goals as an op-ed columnist and the current state of civic discourse in America. “Based on which [cable news channel] you’ve gone to, you can have an understanding of events and reality that is almost diametrically opposed to somebody else’s. That makes it so much more challenging to find common ground,” observes Bruni. “I always try to return to a plea for civility, decency and understanding,” he concludes.

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How can we make the culinary industry more inclusive and accessible? How can we work together to overcome gender and racial discrimination in the industry? These questions are important to best-selling cookbook author and food writer Julia Turshen. In this episode, Turshen shares her approach to cookbook writing and how she achieves her accessible style, including Simply Julia released in March 2020. She also shares the origins of her on-going initiative Equity at the Table, a digital directory that supports women of color, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people in the food industry.

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Will women ever be proportionately represented in Congress? Political journalist, novelist and cookbook author Jennifer Steinhauer discusses her book The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress which examines the remarkable group of women elected to the 116th Congress in 2018. This insightful, hopeful conversation about women's political power with one of America's most astute political journalist is an exploration of the ongoing impact of the most racially, ethnically, socially, and professionally diverse class of female lawmakers. As Steinhauer notes, “If women continue to look in the mirror and see themselves as lawmakers, the way men have for generations, women have an endless ceiling.”

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The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress

“How can I help? That was the question I kept asking myself,” says former teen idol and acclaimed television writer and producer Shaun Cassidy. Cassidy shares how he is helping during COVID-19 by supporting No Kid Hungry and the Santa Ynez community through his wine label, My First Crush. “COVID came along and I saw a lot of our friends… farmers, growers and winemakers suddenly really hurting. Then I saw our schools close. I saw our restaurants close and I knew a lot of people were going to be in trouble,” explains Cassidy. “I thought, here’s an opportunity to not only help the folks I live with, but to help all of these kids.”

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How are so many of our most important issues tied to what we eat? What is the relationship between food and issues like climate change? James Beard Award-winning food writer Mark Bittman talks about food, climate change, social justice and his new book, Animal, Vegetable, Junk. “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.”

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What’s the key to building a purpose-driven career? Author, business school professor and social change pioneer Bill Novelli discusses doing well by doing good and his new book, Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World. “Tomorrow’s leaders are in our classrooms today… They want a purpose as well as a paycheck,” says Novelli. “Wherever you are in your career, whatever organization you’re part of, you can make a positive, social difference. The way I like to say it is, you can make a dent in the universe,” he adds. “We are in a tough time. We are a nation divided. We need to find the pragmatic center."

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How will restaurants survive the economic collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? Award-winning Washington DC chef Kwame Onwuachi (formerly of Kith/Kin) talks about how COVID 19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of the restaurant industry and the fundamental changes needed 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. In his memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef, Onwuachi confronts issues of race and diversity in the culinary world. “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 Washington Post. “I try to speak my mind and speak truthfully." Billy Shore also shares updates on President Biden's new hunger plan.

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How has the role of the media changed over the last four years? CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper discusses journalism, politics and his work in support of causes like No Kid Hungry and military veterans. “We’re in a war over facts. Right now, two of the biggest stories are about that - people who deny COVID and the seriousness of it and people who deny the election results. In both cases, the leading purveyor of disinformation is the President,” Tapper says. “There is the potential for journalism to be better. There is the capacity for people whose eyes have been opened during the Trump administration to stay engaged and stay outraged,” he believes.

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In an excerpt from Conversations on Food Justice, a collaboration between Share Our Strength and the Aspen Institute’s Food and Society Program, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-1) moderates the discussion with former Obama Administration Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King Jr. and former Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD-4) on systemic racism in food policy. “Systemic racism operates to create structural barriers… This is the system that we created over 400 years. If we want something different we have to actively work to dismantle those systems,” explains King. “The system suggests that there’s something wrong with trying to figure out how to feed yourself and your family, that there is something negative about doing all that you can to access food,” notes Edwards. “We could center healthy eating and nutrition in our public policy. We choose not to,” says King.

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Why is it so important to restore Native American autonomy? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof and Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health Director Allison Barlow talk about poverty, education and the struggle for social justice in Native American communities. “The Bureau of Indian Education schools only have a 53% high school graduation rate! We are failing them way before they fail us,” suggests Kristof. “We as a country have had this narrative that when people struggle, it’s because of a lack of personal responsibility and bad choices... It’s because we as a society are making bad choices about healthcare, education and jobs."

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How can science inspire better cooking? James Beard award-winning food writer J. Kenji López-Alt explains what drew him to explore the science behind cooking, find his voice as a writer and write two New York Times bestselling books. “Some people think cooking with science is the opposite of cooking with soul. I think it’s the opposite. The more you understand the science and technique behind it, the better your ability to get out what’s inside you,” he suggests. “No matter what you’re writing about, whether it’s a restaurant review or a culture piece or a recipe piece, it has to be a story first.”

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How do each of us measure success? Bigger Bolder Baking chef and host Gemma Stafford talks about hosting an online Bake-A-Thon for No Kid Hungry and how her views on success have changed during the pandemic. “We’ve been very fortunate with Bigger Bolder Baking and we wanted to give back… It was really important for me to be a part of something that is going to make such a big difference,” she says. “We set out to create a baking brand and we’ve created a community. This is exactly what we would have hoped to do."

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In an excerpt from Conversations on Food Justice, a collaboration between Share Our Strength and the Aspen Institute’s Food and Society Program, human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader and former political prisoner Ericka Huggins and FoodLab Detroit Executive Director Devita Davison share their thoughts on the history of the food justice movement and the systemic inequalities that stand between a hungry child and healthy meal. “There is a Somalian proverb that says, ‘poverty is slavery,’” says Huggins. “These inequities are in every institution of society because it was set up intentionally.” Davison recalls the collective memory of her family who endured the Greenwood Food Blockade. “We cannot free ourselves until we feed ourselves,” she says.

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How do you get kids from juvenile detention on track for success? Chef and Café Momentum Executive Director Chad Houser talks about building a new model for juvenile justice that develops career and life skills to overcome recidivism and reincarceration. “The juvenile justice industry calls them ‘throw-away’ youth. We need to be pushing as hard as we can to change that narrative and eradicate that stereotype,” says Houser. He created Café Momentum, a full-service Dallas restaurant that provides year-long internships for young people coming out of juvenile detention. “For the first time in their lives, they’re getting to learn positive things about themselves,” he explains. "The young men and women in our program can and will rise to whatever level of expectation is set for them, as long as we’re giving them the tools and resources and opportunity to do so.".

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How do you raise $1M to feed hungry kids? Celebrity trainer, choreographer and Broadway dancer Isaac Calpito explains how he amplified support for childhood hunger during the pandemic by developing a daily workout on Instagram TV and encouraging his followers to donate to No Kid Hungry. “So many wonderful things are happening because people are showing up, not only for their bodies and their minds, but with this beautiful connection that we have for giving,” he explains. “There’s something so intrinsically basic about a child eating. It’s deeply important to me and clearly deeply important to my followers."

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How do we overcome our country’s systemic racism? Bakers Against Racism co-founder and Washington DC executive pastry chef Paola Velez (Maydān, Compass Rose) joins Billy Shore and Share Our Strength Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Pamela Taylor to talk about finding the courage to speak out against racism and other forms of injustice. “We didn’t think this was going to go viral. We launched on Thursday night around 7pm and by 10pm we had 200 participants around the world ready to bake… We were able to raise almost $2M in less than 2 weeks,” recounts Velez. “Whenever I think about race relations in America, I think it boils down to one common thread. We need to love harder than we’ve ever loved before. We need to truly transform our nation with the action of caring for others as if they were ourselves,” she says.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Velez was furloughed and forced to file for unemployment benefits. “I was scared and I was broken. I realized that if I’m feeling this way and I have all these accolades, imagine somebody who doesn’t have any of this,” she says. “My focus was shifted. COVID changed everything, so I started speaking up... I had no fear because I had lost it all,” she explains.

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How do we create an antidote to the politics of division? UnidosUS Deputy Vice President Clarissa Martinez-de-Castro joins Billy Shore to discuss immigration policies, Latino civic engagement and turning out the vote. “If you look at surveys and opinion research for the last ten years, the majority of the American people actually want to see a functional immigration system. There is a vocal and very loud minority that has hijacked the ability to make progress on this issue and made legislators scared to take action,” explains Martinez. “We sometimes see politicians using the politics of division… using the issue of immigration to stir up anxiety about the demographic change in our country and to stir up antagonism against immigrants,” she says.

Martinez thinks that both parties are missing a huge opportunity with Latino voters. “I’m sad to say that over the last ten years, one of the parties has either ignored Latinos or actually antagonized them. Given that, the other party tends to take Latino voters for granted,” she notes about one of the fastest growing segments of the electorate. “For people who care about having jobs, good schools for their children and a good roof over your head, the growth of the Latino electorate should be a welcome development because those are the priorities that motivate this electorate,” says Martinez.

Join us for an informative and urgent conversation with one of the most knowledgeable advocates on Latino civic engagement, voter registration and more just immigration policies.

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When you wake up in the morning, can you say you’re proud of what you built? James Beard award-winning Minneapolis chef Ann Kim joins Billy Shore to talk about her immigrant experience, approach to food, and observations about her community in the wake of the George Floyd murder. “It is our job to make changes, educate and learn. We can’t make decisions rooted in fear,” she says. “People scream when they feel like they’re not being heard. I was trying to listen and I wasn’t quite sure how I was to react, except that I wanted to support the black community,” explains Kim.

Kim talks about her immigrant experience and the importance of the dinner table. “There is no room for hate in food. Food is about nurturing and taking care of people. It’s about making people feel special and welcome. It really is the great peacemaker,” says Kim, who is a staunch supporter of No Kid Hungry.

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Why is it so important to support black-owned businesses, particularly right now? FieldTrip chef and owner JJ Johnson talks to Billy Shore about being a black business owner and what drives him to succeed. “Don’t say you care about black lives if you can’t walk into a black-owned business and look on the shelves and give it the same amount of money that you give a white-owned business,” says Johnson. There continue to be systemic barriers, as well. “When I was applying for my PPP money, I got declined three times. There are a lot of black-owned businesses that just weren’t able to get PPP money to stay alive,” Johnson explains about the Payment Protection Program within the CARES Act that has provided support for small businesses during the pandemic.

“I hire from the community. It gave this sense of hope that every time the lights would come on at Fieldtrip, it meant that someone could have a job, that we’re coming back and it’s going to be ok,” recounts Johnson about staying open throughout the pandemic by preparing food bowls for frontline hospital workers. “If we can make it in Harlem, we can make it anywhere in the world because the Harlem community will uplift you,” he says.

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What will happen to our neighborhoods if independent restaurants do not survive the pandemic? Chicago’s award-winning chef and Mexico: One Plate at a Time host Rick Bayless joins Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about the struggle to survive for independent restaurants. “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,” explains Bayless about the urgent need for restaurant stabilization legislation. “Independent restaurants have never had any representation in Washington and yet we are the second largest employer in the United States. 11 million people that work in restaurants in the United States.”

Bayless was is well-known for his support of underserved communities in Chicago. “My eyes have been opened… around Black Lives Matter and the inequities in our own community. We have been talking to a lot of chefs around Chicago about how we can promote enterprises that support the restaurant industry that are black-owned.” He was also one of the first chefs to support Share Our Strength 35 years ago. “I’ve always lived by the motto that I want to make this place better than when we arrived here, and [Share Our Strength and the No Kid Hungry Campaign] gave us all the tools that we needed to do that,” Bayless says.

Join us for this energizing conversation about the current and future states of the restaurant industry with a chef who continues to do the important work in his community.

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How are kids getting enough nutrition with all the constraints on schools during this pandemic? What about the restaurant industry? In this poignant episode taped early after COVID-19 struck the US, with an updated introduction from host Billy Shore, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and Executive Director of Student Nutrition Services for the San Francisco Unified School District Jennifer Lebarre discuss the challenges for families and workers and the importance of a federal response. “This is nothing short of apocalyptic,” says Zimmern. “We are incredibly reliant on the federal government right now, at a point in time where many of us have felt a lack of leadership and a lack of empathy for the last couple years.” Lebarre explains how school meals are an essential service for over half of San Francisco public school students. “It is a day-to-day struggle,” she relays. “As this crisis continues, more and more families are going to have to rely on the national school lunch program.”

Listen to learn how two passionate advocates for kids and restaurant workers are helping during the crisis.

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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.

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Why should Americans care about hunger around the world? World Food Program USA President and CEO Barron Segar and food and lifestyle personality Sandra Lee join Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about the importance of combatting hunger around the world. “Food is a basic vaccination against chaos. When you don’t have food, you have increased unrest and conflict. Maybe we don’t have a vaccination against COVID, but we certainly have a vaccination against starvation,” observes Lee. Segar agrees, based on his work in Ethiopia on the South Sudanese border. “I saw so many kids and moms and grandmothers that were fleeing violence to stay alive. I saw how they walked for days and weeks… I saw how food literally brought a child and a mom back to life,” he says. “I will never forget these kids and moms looking me in the eye and just so appreciative of what [we] were doing to keep them alive.”

“I was raised on welfare and food stamps. It’s important to remember where you come from, and when you come from a place like that, I think you need to give back,” says Lee about her long-time focus on fighting hunger. “Everybody listening to this show has a voice, but not everybody in the world has a voice. So be the voice for those that are not being heard,” urges Segar.

Join us for this enlightening conversation about the worsening hunger crisis around the world and how we can solve it.

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How do we meet the increased need COVID-19 is causing in our country? San Antonio Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper and Hotel Emma chef and culinary director John Brand talk to Debbie and Billy Shore about the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their city. Billy Shore asks Cooper about the now iconic image of a massive line of cars outside the San Antonio Food Bank in April. “I saw the line and I just panicked. I thought we were going to run out of food,” says Cooper. However, they were able to meet the need that day. “I waited for the last car to be served. I went to apologize… but I was greeted with this resiliency and gratitude that was amazing,” he shares.

“The biggest thing we’ve all learned is compassion - compassion for each other,” observes Brand, who used his restaurant to feed first-responders during the first months of the pandemic. “Where a lot of the world has retreated, we are able to connect on a deeper level with food,” he explains. The guests discuss the larger problem of hunger in America. “We never believed that we were going to solve hunger with a canned good. Hunger is a symptom of poverty and people in poverty have lots of barriers. It can’t be fish or teaching how to fish, it has to be both,” says Cooper.

Listen to this important conversation with two San Antonio anti-hunger crusaders bearing witness to the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their community.

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What truly gives you meaning and purpose? Eleven Madison Park (NYC) Chef and Owner Daniel Humm joins Billy Shore to discuss how the pandemic has given him new purpose . “If we want to continue the way we’ve done things, I believe 5 years from now, 10 years or maybe already next year, it will be irrelevant and empty,” he says. Humm has transformed Eleven Madison Park into a pandemic food provider of 5,000 meals a day in partnership with Rethink Food NYC, which creates delicious, nutritious meals from restaurant food waste. “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. “When every restaurant was shut down and I saw that people wouldn’t get food… I realized I had a kitchen and connection to all the farmers and to Rethink. It felt like a very obvious thing to do.”

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How do we fix our broken food system? Food Tank co-founder and president Danielle Nierenberg joins Billy Shore to discuss the connections between food, nutrition, the environment and democracy. “People are thinking about food and agriculture as something more political… this citizen eater who votes not only with her fork, but votes for the kind of food system that she wants,” explains Nierenberg. “We have a broken democracy right now. It’s not just the change we want to see, it’s the change we need to make this democracy a working one again,” she says.

Nierenberg observes that the current pandemic has exposed the problems in our current food system. “Our modern food system has always been fragile and now with COVID we’re seeing all of these cracks and things that don’t work,” she says. “This is not going to be the last disruption that we see in the food and agriculture system worldwide… We have a lot to get into place so that we can withstand those disruptions,” she warns.

Join us for this critical conversation about using the food and agricultural community as a force for political change.

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How do we create allies instead of adversaries? In a powerful episode taped right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani, Amparo Fondita executive chef Christian Irabien, and No Kid Hungry Manager of Federal Advocacy Meredith Jorss joined host Billy Shore for an in-depth discussion about immigration and how to counter its polarizing effect on American culture. “Most Americans, especially conservative and moderate Americans, don’t see [immigration] as a matter of politics and policy, they see it as a discussion around culture and values,” explains Noorani. “Ultimately, we’re advocating for fair and just immigration policies that balance the idea that this country can be a nation of laws and a nation of grace,” he says.

“One of the main ideas behind me trying to open a restaurant is figuring out ways we can effect positive change in local Latin American communities, which make up 80% of back of the house operations,” says chef Irabien, who immigrated to the US from Mexico as a child and volunteers with organizations that empower Latin American immigrant communities. Jorss organizes Lobby Day for No Kid Hungry, where chefs travel to Capitol Hill to advocate on issues such as immigration. “Chefs are employers and care deeply about their communities, so they are really important voices with legislators and can speak authentically to the issue,” she explains.

Join us for an insightful conversation that offers hope for overcoming the polarizing rhetoric surrounding immigration and immigrant communities.

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How can big consumer brands help make the world a better place? Brown Sugar Kitchen Executive Chef Tanya Holland and Kellogg Ready to Eat Cereal General Manager Doug VanDeVelde share their insights on food insecurity, giving back to the community and the effects of COVID-19. “When the COVID pandemic first started, there was a certain sense of obligation in our company to help secure the food supply… There was a feeling that we had an obligation to help feed the nation,” recounts VanDeVelde. “I’m making an effort to thank everyone who comes in and supports us because it’s a choice they make and a risk they take. Probably 7 times out of 10, they respond, ‘Thank you for what you do for the community,’” says Holland.

“As I started to go through my career at Kellogg’s, it became more and more clear to me that brands need to have a purpose and need to be able to do good in the world,” says VanDeVelde, who recently helped No Kid Hungry raise $700K. “This country has so much bounty, it’s just shameful if we can’t do the basics of seeing that children are fed,” says Holland about her work as a No Kid Hungry ambassador. “What a difference it makes in the performance and attendance of the kids.”

Listen to these important voices of two people who continue to impact their communities.

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Why haven’t we been able to create the groundswell to end hunger? Bread for the World President and CEO Reverend Eugene Cho joins Billy Shore to discuss the connections between racism, poverty and hunger and how faith can inform social justice work. “Let’s not deny racism and… our complicity in some of these policies and structures,” advises Cho. “People are sensing that there is a significant moment right now. We don’t want to look back years from now and say to ourselves, we didn’t show up, we didn’t raise our voices,” he counsels.

Cho is hopeful that we can end hunger together. “We should never diminish our ability to make change. [However], we should never overestimate what we can do. This work can never be done by one person or one organization. We’ve got to keep incubating the partnerships and coalitions,” he explains. “The church, we certainly don’t monopolize compassion and justice. But I think for those that come from a faith perspective, it answers the why we do what we do,” he says about his own convictions.

Listen to this powerful conversation that explores the connection between faith-based values and the fight for social justice.

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How will restaurants survive the economic collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? Award-winning Washington DC chef Kwame Onwuachi (formerly of Kith/Kin) talks to Billy Shore about the how the current crisis 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 a recent 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.

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How do we improve access to school meal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic? Congressman Will Hurd (TX 23) talks to Billy Shore about the root causes of childhood hunger, working in Congress and making better use of technology to deliver federal assistance to those who need it. Hurd is well known for his bipartisan work in Washington. “The only way big things have ever been done in Washington DC is if you do them together. I’m of the opinion that… way more unites us as a country than divides us. Let’s focus on those things rather than those issues on the fringe that we may never agree on.”

Shore states that two months after Congress approved billions to replace school meals, only 15% of eligible kids are getting it. “Oftentimes we have these programs that have support, but because of the inefficiencies of how we deliver that support, it takes a long time to get to the intended beneficiaries,” explains Hurd. He believes the current pandemic is showing us that we can do better. “’Recovery’ means you go back to a place that we’ve already been. I want to be in a better place. How do we use federal dollars for our states to be better prepared to use digital tools to extend that federal support that you already have?,” he says.

Listen to a very effective Congressmen talk about his passion for making sure hungry kids are fed and his practical solutions for overcoming the roadblocks.

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We must also reject the illusory safety of silence. We must speak out, even though it may seem implicit in who we are. We must say out loud that every form and manifestation of racism is unacceptable. And for those who don't think that that's the business of an anti hunger organization, we must also say out loud, it's the business of all human beings.

Share Our Strength Co-Founder and Chairman Billy Shore

As people mobilize across the country to confront racism in all of its manifestations today, we are sharing a curated episode that revolves around our painful legacy of racism in America and how we can overcome it. Guests that include:

MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Dr. Joe Marshall,
Chef Tanya Holland,
social justice champion Reverend Jim Wallis,
thought leader and businessman Robert Lewis, Jr.,
Brandeis University’s Ira Jackson, and
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Faith Mitchell

These leaders speak powerfully and thoughtfully about our shameful past, our difficult present, and a more hopeful and just future.

Check out the original episodes by following the links below.

“I remember we were angry and my mom was like, ‘You win with love. If you're locked up or arrested, you can't do anything in life.’ … So I made a commitment in my life that I was going to be part of shifting this narrative of folks who are poorer and black and brown communities in a different way.” – Robert Lewis, Jr. (March 6, 2019) http://addpassionandstir.com/flipping-the-script-rewriting-the-story-of-urban-youth/

“I would accompany 37 yellow school buses along with the police commissioner every morning [in 1972] from Bayside up to a Dorchester Heights and South Boston High School, where those black kids would be greeted by an angry mob that was yelling the ‘n’ word at them and throwing bananas and occasionally bricks at the windows. That's how violent and ugly it was.” – Ira Jackson (December 12, 2018) http://addpassionandstir.com/leading-a-city-back-from-despair-the-community-leaders-who-rebuilt-boston/

“It's just, ‘you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it.’ And even when you show you can, the real believers are the ones of us who were actually doing it. So we're always fighting that… I always say being black in America is like you start in this hole and you're continually climbing out of this hole.” – Dr. Joe Marshall (October 18, 2016) http://addpassionandstir.com/gang-violence-prevention-and-cure/

“For me, what I notice about racism – what I find most painful - is when people have low expectations of you and they don't expect you to be intelligent or ambitious or resourceful. And that's hard. You know, that judgement is a big hurdle. What can you do about that?” – Chef Tanya Holland (October 18, 2016) http://addpassionandstir.com/gang-violence-prevention-and-cure/

“My questions took me to the city [Detroit] - a white kid going to black churches for the first time and taking jobs alongside young men just like me, but they were black and I was white. I realized that we were all born in Detroit but had been raised in different countries… My worldview, as they say, has been changed by being places I was never supposed to be.” – Reverend Jim Wallis (May 17, 2019) http://addpassionandstir.com/racial-injustice-the-soul-of-america-is-at-stake-part-1/

“There are many Americans who not only don't know about disparities, but in general think that we have the best medical care in the world because that's what we've been told. In fact, among developed countries, we're near the bottom… One of the reasons we're near the bottom is that we have big differences in things like mortality and morbidity once you get past the surface and look at the details of the American population.” – Faith Mitchell (May 16, 2018) http://addpassionandstir.com/bringing-the-love-equity-in-healthcare/

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As COVID-19 continues to impact jobs, families and financial futures worldwide, celebrity chef, author and television personality Cat Cora joins Billy Shore to discuss how this pandemic is exposing our humanity and what the lasting impacts might be. “This is a human recalibration. We’re recalibrating the world. We are more authentic than we’ve ever been... We’re all on a level playing field, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. We needed that as a society,” she says. However, she does also urge government assistance of small restaurants and businesses. “So much support needs to go into small businesses because they really are the quilt of American hospitality. The small mom-n-pop restaurants and small businesses are what keeps America going.”

Cora is involved with various efforts to help people during this difficult time, including supporting the No Kid Hungry campaign through her Chefs for Humanity organization and a new live web series. “[CORA-ntine Cuisine] is our service to the world. We’re cooking dinner anyway, we might as well share it with the world. We can be a hotline to give advice and tips and share recipes and connect,” she explains.

Listen to learn how a very caring mom and business owner is using her platform to support people during this difficult and uncertain time.

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How will COVID-19 reshape the fight against hunger? Urban Institute senior fellow Elaine Waxman joins Billy Shore to share her data-driven insights on food insecurity in America during the pandemic. “SNAP is our number one line of defense for food insecurity,” she explains. “One of the persistent gaps has been that even though SNAP has been a great first line of defense for food insecurity, those benefits continue to be inadequate… The biggest thing we need is Congress to increase the maximum benefit for SNAP,” she says.

Waxman also cautions about the extreme health consequences that can result from food insecurity, particularly during a pandemic. “In the U.S., we typically look at food insecurity as a social welfare problem, and it’s not. It’s a public health problem,” she remarks. “What we’ve learned from research over the years is that if you live in a food insecure household, you are more likely to experience poor health outcomes.”

Listen to one of our foremost experts on food insecurity, nutrition and health disparities explain how research and data can help improve anti-hunger programs.

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How do you feed 1.5M of people every day? NYC Department of Sanitation commissioner and recently appointed food czar Kathryn Garcia talks to Billy Shore about leading the city’s massive and complicated hunger relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s really been the sheer scale and magnitude of how many people are in need. Not any one piece of it is necessarily difficult in and of itself, but the scale is really massive,” says Garcia. “We’re a city of incredible variation. We need to be able to deliver the right food at the right time… People want to eat the food that comes from their culture, and if it doesn’t, they may not eat what you deliver to them,” she notes.

With more than 500 public schools distributing food every day, Garcia reflects on what she’s learned about school nutrition programs. “There are specific funding streams that drive the development of the programs, rather than being more kid focused. What works for [the kids] rather than what works for reimbursement?,” she asks.

Join us for this important discussion about tackling food insecurity on a massive scale during a crisis.

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Can the current pandemic strengthen our resolve to eradicate hunger? Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot talks to Billy Shore about what she is witnessing on the frontlines of the escalating hunger crisis caused by COVID-19 and the opportunities it presents. “There are lots of opportunities in this pandemic to come out of it better than we were going into it,” she says, referring to the increased public awareness of hunger in America. “Do you really want four-mile-long lines [outside food banks] or would you prefer, as I do, to provide people with the dignity where they can go into a grocery store just like the rest of us?” she asks.

Babineaux-Fontenot and Shore discuss how their organizations partner and collaborate, particularly during this pandemic. “Our short-term analysis was that over the first six months, the gap for the charitable food system for our network was $1.4 billion. ... We're making progress in closing that gap, but it's not completely closed. We're going to work with you guys to make sure it doesn't linger for 10 years,” says Babineaux-Fontenot. She also encourages all of us to be informed voters. “I think we have a responsibility to be well informed about what the people who represent us that we elect, where they stand on issues like hunger,” she concludes.

Join us for this insightful discussion about how the COVID-19 pandemic has us rethinking the way we fight hunger in America.

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What innovations will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic? On this episode, host Billy Shore reconnects with noted DC chef Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto, Brothers and Sisters, ABC PONY, Spoken English) on helping the community. “This has been a wake-up call for me. I’ve always been wading in the water of being a public servant and [I’m] finally jumping into it,” says Bruner-Yang. He recently launched a crowdfunding plan called The Power of 10 that keeps restaurant workers employed while providing free meals to those in need.

“I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life working and building up this neighborhood that we live in, and when this passes, that could all be gone… We can make a difference and leverage the resources we have just to try to keep our communities intact,” he observes. His four restaurants have had to downsize from 225 employees to about 30. “Food security issues have existed long before this pandemic - the pandemic only highlights how bad it is.”

Listen to this informative discussion about one small business owner’s innovative plan to help workers and communities.

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Where do we find optimism during the current crisis? Celebrity baker Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes, Charm City Cakes) dials in to talk to Billy Shore about his winding path to success, the effects of the coronavirus on his business and employees, and his advice for overcoming the current crisis. “The absolute 100% biggest impact is everybody needs to register to vote and vote in November,” he admonishes. “We have this terrible virus going around that’s really shut everything down, and we are rudderless. There’s nobody at the helm.”

Goldman talks about temporarily adjusting his business operations to get through these tough times. “I don’t want anyone to go on unemployment or - god forbid - try to rely on the government right now,” he explains. “One of the things about people in the restaurant industry: we are resilient. We’re going to need some help, but I really believe that most of the people that are shut down right now, they’re going to be back. I have to believe that,” he says.

Join us for a discussion about determination, innovation and the optimism it will take to overcome the problems created by COVID-19.

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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.

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Can small farmers survive the COVID-19 pandemic? NYC’s Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns chef and co-owner Dan Barber joins Billy Shore to discuss how the farm-to-table movement is especially vulnerable right now. “There’s a network of farmers that we’re connected to, whether you know it or not. That network has been shattered,” laments Barber. Left without a way to generate revenue, he fears many of these small, organic farms will declare bankruptcy. “These are the farmers that I most want to protect because if they leave us, a generation of knowledge leaves us, and I don’t think they come back,” he says.

Barber and Stone Barns recently started resourcED, selling food in boxes to give the 120 farmers that supply his restaurants a revenue stream. “We started resourcED in part to create a consciousness through education about the kind of people that produce our food… It’s an opportunity to build a kind of system that is more resilient,” he explains.

Listen to a critical discussion about the importance of supporting the small farmers who have been building a healthier food system.

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How will the COVID-19 crisis transform the restaurant industry? Dirt Candy chef and owner Amanda Cohen and host Billy Shore discuss how restaurants will survive the pandemic. Cohen says she and other chefs are struggling with reopening their restaurants after the crisis has passed. “How are we going to reopen? What am I reopening to? Who is going out? Who still has money to go out in this city? And who wants to go to a crowded restaurant?,” she asks.

She also stresses that the pandemic has clearly shown that the traditional business model for restaurants does not provide enough for workers. “If our workers need charity so badly, maybe owners weren’t doing this right in the first place,” wrote Cohen in a March 26th New York Times Op-Ed. She believes that the restaurant industry needs to make some changes to support higher wages and health insurance for its workers. “If we reopen the same way as we closed, we will have literally learned nothing,” she says.

Join us for this critical discussion about the future of the restaurant industry.

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How are food pantries responding to the COVID crisis? West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) Executive Director Greg Silverman joins Billy Shore for a conversation about the impact COVID-19 is having on his work feeding New Yorkers on the street instead of in their food pantry. “Sometimes the best innovations happen when you have to make these things on the fly,” he notes. “COVID has, in a sense, pushed us forward on some of the ideas we were already hoping to do to reach more people.”

The burdens are increased for both customers served by WSCAH and its staff. “It’s hard to navigate the social safety net as fraying as it is in America,” explains Silverman. “We’re also not used to having staff feel that they’re putting their lives on the line.”

Listen to this important conversation with an anti-hunger activist and leader working around the clock at ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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How do we keep feeding food insecure kids and families during a pandemic? Stacey McDaniel, Anti-Hunger Initiatives Specialist and National Spokesperson for the YMCA of the USA, joins Billy Shore to explain the adaptations and collaborations the Y has undertaken to bring meals to more kids and families than ever before. “Nothing is more fundamental than making sure children have access to healthy meals. It hits all the areas children need nutrition to grow and thrive,” says McDaniel.

Before the pandemic, the Y was operating 5,200 food sites that served 570,000 kids each year. Today, those numbers have grown significantly. “We know that the demand is increasing… we're seeing just astronomical rises in numbers. We see Y's where every day the number of meals are increasing and the need is increasing,” reports McDaniel. “God bless our school nutrition workers, they have never worked so hard in their lives. I think they are so underappreciated, but they are true hunger heroes stepping up right now all across this country.”

Join us to hear how one of the foundational rocks of so many American communities is coming to the aid of so many kids and families during this crisis.

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The tragedy and terror of coronavirus struck close to home today upon learning that Chef Floyd Cardoz died of COVID-19 in the New York area yesterday. Floyd was not only a great chef but an amazing champion of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, and so many other humanitarian causes in the United States and India. All who knew him are devastated. He leaves a lasting legacy, some of which you can hear about in his own words on a podcast we recorded last year. We are reposting it as a tribute to Floyd and the goodness he inspired in all of us.

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How will the restaurant industry survive the coronavirus? Chef Jason Vincent (Giant, Chef Special) joins Billy Shore from his home quarantine in Chicago to talk about the difficult decisions he’s had to make as a restaurant owner in these challenging times. Vincent believes the current crisis is putting a magnifying glass on long-standing problems like healthcare. “It's a tough lesson to have to learn in a terrible time, but lots of stuff needs to get fixed,” he says. He decided early on to keep providing health insurance to his employees during the shutdown.

Vincent is concerned the pandemic may exacerbate mental health issues in the restaurant workforce. “This is when the raw nerve gets exposed… people who don't like being alone, being made to be alone. It gets touchy real fast,” explains Vincent. A father of two young girls, he also worries about what the crisis may do to the mental state of kids. “You see the crinkles on their faces when they hear the word coronavirus on the news. You see their pause after hearing about a ventilator,” he explains.

Join us for this deeply personal and important conversation with an employer, activist and father fighting to help others survive this crisis.

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In today’s timely episode during the COVID-19 crisis, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and Executive Director of Student Nutrition Services for the San Francisco Unified School District Jennifer LeBarre discuss the challenges for families and workers and the importance of a federal response. “This is nothing short of apocalyptic,” says Zimmern. “We are incredibly reliant on the federal government right now, at a point in time where many of us have felt a lack of leadership and a lack of empathy for the last couple years.” LeBarre explains how school meals are an essential service for over half of San Francisco public school students. “It is a day-to-day struggle,” she relays. “As this crisis continues, more and more families are going to have to rely on the national school lunch program.”

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Can you have ‘good food for good?’ James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach joins Billy Shore to discuss the role the culinary community plays in driving positive change through food. “Whether it’s celebrity or agency, [chefs] are trusted in a way that is unparalleled, and they literally can help shape public taste and opinion,” says Reichenbach. “I am so impressed by this community. There are so many calls on their time, but the generosity of spirit I see day in and day out is phenomenal,” she continues.

Reichenbach discusses in more depth some of the important issues facing the restaurant industry and the James Beard Foundation, including the #MeToo movement and gender equality. “There’s been a day of reckoning and I don’t see us going back from that… Culturally there’s been a good shift, but actually seeing that shift translate into systemic, structural change remains to be seen,” she cautions.

Listen in as two leaders of influential food organizations talk about using the powerful currency of food culture to drive social change.

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What are the traits that make a great chef? DC’s new Maialino Mare restaurant Executive Chef Rose Noel joins Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about what it takes to succeed as a chef and a leader. “I’m cooking because I love cooking, so there is not really another option for me,” says Noel. “You don’t fall into this career by mistake because it’s not an easy thing to do… If you don’t love it, you don’t last long,” she continues.

Noel, a chef of Haitian descent described by Danny Meyer as a ‘quiet force,’ has broken barriers in an industry where women of color continue to be underrepresented and thinks more could be done to attract young people from minority communities. “You have to go into the high schools so people know that this is a real career that anyone can do. They have to see that it’s possible and see the path to get there,” she explains.

Enjoy this conversation with a young chef as she reflects on her influences, responsibilities and what drives her success.

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Is wheat the key to a healthy food system? One Mighty Mill co-founder Jon Olinto talks to Billy Shore about the history of wheat and the impacts freshly-milled and sustainably-sourced wheat can have on our health, agricultural systems and communities. “Everybody wants healthy local food systems. The true cornerstone of that is going to center around mills because wheat and flour have infiltrated nearly everything we eat,” says Olinto.

Olinto wanted to ensure that community revitalization was part of One Mighty Mill’s mission. Located in downtown Lynn, MA, it serves as healthy community resource as well as an economic engine. “You know you can’t fix everything at once. But when you start, if you hardwire some of this impact that you know you want to have, it creates a pathway for you to stay true to why you started,” Olinto explains.

Join us for this fascinating conversation with an entrepreneur who is helping to make people, communities and agricultural systems healthier.

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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.”

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What inspires people to help others? Chef Marcus Samuelsson owner of Harlem's Red Rooster and FEED founder Lauren Bush Lauren come from different backgrounds but have both found a way to share their strength with others. Samuelsson and Bush Lauren discuss their individual paths to social impact work and how they use their networks for good. They discuss the role of privilege in one's life, as Lauren notes: “It’s literally like a ‘birth lottery’ – just because of where you are born, your next meal is not a guarantee.” And how acknowledging this privilege broadens and deepens once perspective and empathy, “The luxury of being adopted and the luxury of being African is that… you get windows into different worlds. [Ethiopia] is more than this quick sound bite or how people want to label us with false narratives,” says Samuelsson.

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How can we spread more happiness to children in this world? Akshaya Patra Foundation USA CEO Shridhar Venkat and The Third Space owner and chef Asha Gomez join hosts Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss the challenges and triumphs of alleviating childhood hunger around the world. “The world needs more compassion. If the rich people in the world looked on this problem with compassion, I feel you could solve this problem in one year,” claims Venkat. “People are innately good. People want to do good… a lot of times people don’t know how or have the resources necessary to be able to do good,” says Gomez.

Both guests talk about the personal fulfillment they experience through their work. “To truly enjoy work, work should be love made visible,” explains Gomez about her cooking and her work for international aid organization CARE. “At the end of the day, you are giving wings to their dreams,” declares Venkat about the 1.76M children who are fed through Akshaya Patra’s school meal programs.

Tune in for this heartfelt and illuminating conversation with two guests who are passionate about helping kids.

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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.

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How do we transform the way kids experience school? Former head chef Dan Giusti, the founder and CEO of Brigaid, and Angie Jerabek, the founder and executive director of the BARR Center, join hosts Debbie and Billy Shore to share their insights on driving culture change in our nation’s schools. “The personal interaction, whether it’s in a restaurant or in a school, is always going to be more important than the food itself,” insists Giusti. “You need to build relationships. You’ve got to have relationships from staff to student, student to student and staff to staff,” agrees Jerabek.

Both guests emphasize that the talent already exists within schools. “We’re hesitant to have outside people come in. We really want to train the current staff because then we know it’s going to become part of the culture,” explains Jerabek. “One thing that’s always stood out to me is that we’ve had high school kids literally say to the cafeteria staff ‘I didn’t even like this meal today, but we see that you’re really putting a lot of work in. Thank you,’” says Giusti.

Tune in for this in-depth conversation about two transformative organizations working to improve the school experience for our nation’s kids.

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Is there such a thing as American cuisine? James Beard Award-winning chef Ann Cashion and Yale history professor and author Paul Freedman have a thought-provoking discussion about the intersection of food, restaurants and American culture with and hosts Debbie and Billy Shore. Freedman’s newest book, American Cuisine and How It Got This Way, explores the evolution from regionalism to the standardization of food in the 20th century and how that trend is reversing. “Homogenization, standardization, industrial food… that’s the main trend in American history for the 20th century,” he explains. Cashion describes the “active educational process” she used to have with her customers about using seasonal and sustainable food on her menus. “People are more in tune with what it means these days, and are more supportive of it,” she says.

“Sylvia’s, the famous African American restaurant in Harlem, reflects not only the history of African American cuisine but the great migration of African Americans to the north,” explains Freedman, author of Ten Restaurants That Changed America. “I was in the kitchen of a Ramada Inn in Jackson, Mississippi, working with a total African American staff. It was such a great learning experience because so many of them just cooked by feel, no recipes,” recounts Cashion about one of her first restaurant jobs.

Listen to this engaging conversation about food, history and culture in America.

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What is the media’s responsibility to keep us informed? WGBH president and CEO Jon Abbott and culinary personality and Milk Street founder Christopher Kimball join host Billy Shore in Boston to discuss the intersection of education, media and culture. “This is not about a sound bite, this about having a conversation with people,” explains Abbott about the role of WGBH, a Boston public radio station and member station of National Public Radio and Public Radio International. Kimball agrees with the importance of the media message. “If you manage your media business strictly to make a profit, Julia Child and Mr. Rogers are not going to be on television,” he says.

Kimball, the creator of popular PBS programs America’s Test Kitchen and Milk Street Television, talks about exploring international food culture. “It’s always changing, that’s what’s exciting; the world isn’t what you thought,” he notes. “That’s what public media is really all about, revealing and exploring and giving people a sense that there’s always something to learn,” concludes Abbott.

Listen to this engaging conversation as three thought leaders discuss the pitfalls and possibilities of the information age.

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Where would we be without immigrants? RefugePoint founder and executive director Sasha Chanoff and Chickadee owner and executive chef John daSilva join host Billy Shore in Boston to discuss the hardships faced by immigrants and refugees and the promise and strength they bring to their new homes. “Refugees do revitalize cities - like Lewiston, Maine, or St. Louis, Missouri - that were on the decline and Somalis and Bosnians moved in and started businesses,” Chanoff explains. “Immigrant workers make up 30% of the workforce [at Chickadee]. If you take away 30% of the workforce in a workforce-depleted industry, the effects would be devastating,” observes daSilva.

Chanoff shares a harrowing tale about rescuing hundreds of massacre survivors in war-torn Congo early in his career. “I was struck viscerally by this idea that if I could play a very small role in helping somebody who had gone through a lot of trauma and terror, and often lost so much in their lives… that was the most important thing I could do,” he says. “These people working for me are just doing the best that they can, working as hard as they can. How could we turn our backs on them? We need them,” concludes daSilva.

Join in this engaging conversation between two guests who share their personal perspectives on how immigrants and refugees make us all stronger.

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What’s keeping three billion people from climbing out of poverty? Accion President and CEO Michael Schlein and New York restaurateur Roni Mazumdar talk with Billy Shore about the importance of financial inclusion and creating an economic system that works for everyone. “It’s really hard to imagine anyone working their way out of poverty without some of the most basic financial tools—a safe place to save, access to credit, efficient payments, insurance,” says Schlein. Accion provided capital that helped young entrepreneur Mazumdar save his first business after hurricane Sandy devastated the region. “People don’t realize how important it is to survive that first year… Within two weeks, I had the money to continue to operate,” he recounts.

Schlein explains Accion’s market-based strategy for investing in financial technology companies and the people they ultimately help. “We’re a nonprofit, but we’re a big believer in harnessing the capital markets to change the world,” he explains. Mazumdar talks about his personal philanthropic initiative to alleviate poverty in India by improving access to education for girls. “There is a human being [in India] who is no different than I am. I happen to be in a position that is far more fortunate, so therefore, it’s imperative that I do something,” he says.

Listen to this engaging conversation about helping the billions of people who are invisible to the financial system that many of us take for granted.

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The third installment in our series of curated episodes revolves around our painful legacy of racism in America and how we can overcome it. Guests that include MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Dr. Joe Marshall; Chef Tanya Holland; social justice champion Reverend Jim Wallis; thought leader and businessman Robert Lewis, Jr.; Chief of Staff to former Boston Mayor Kevin White, Ira Jackson; and Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Faith Mitchell speak powerfully and thoughtfully about our shameful past, our difficult present, and a more hopeful and just future.

Check out the original episodes by following the links below.

“I remember we were angry and my mom was like, ‘You win with love. If you're locked up or arrested, you can't do anything in life.’ … So I made a commitment in my life that I was going to be part of shifting this narrative of folks who are poorer and black and brown communities in a different way.” – Robert Lewis, Jr. (March 6, 2019) http://addpassionandstir.com/flipping-the-script-rewriting-the-story-of-urban-youth/

“I would accompany 37 yellow school buses along with the police commissioner every morning [in 1972] from Bayside up to a Dorchester Heights and South Boston High School, where those black kids would be greeted by an angry mob that was yelling the ‘n’ word at them and throwing bananas and occasionally bricks at the windows. That's how violent and ugly it was.” – Ira Jackson (December 12, 2018) http://addpassionandstir.com/leading-a-city-back-from-despair-the-community-leaders-who-rebuilt-boston/

“It's just, ‘you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it.’ And even when you show you can, the real believers are the ones of us who were actually doing it. So we're always fighting that… I always say being black in America is like you start in this hole and you're continually climbing out of this hole.” – Dr. Joe Marshall (October 18, 2016) http://addpassionandstir.com/gang-violence-prevention-and-cure/

“For me, what I notice about racism – what I find most painful - is when people have low expectations of you and they don't expect you to be intelligent or ambitious or resourceful. And that's hard. You know, that judgement is a big hurdle. What can you do about that?” – Chef Tanya Holland (October 18, 2016) http://addpassionandstir.com/gang-violence-prevention-and-cure/

“My questions took me to the city [Detroit] - a white kid going to black churches for the first time and taking jobs alongside young men just like me, but they were black and I was white. I realized that we were all born in Detroit but had been raised in different countries… My worldview, as they say, has been changed by being places I was never supposed to be.” – Reverend Jim Wallis (May 17, 2019) http://addpassionandstir.com/racial-injustice-the-soul-of-america-is-at-stake-part-1/

“There are many Americans who not only don't know about disparities, but in general think that we have the best medical care in the world because that's what we've been told. In fact, among developed countries, we're near the bottom… One of the reasons we're near the bottom is that we have big differences in things like mortality and morbidity once you get past the surface and look at the details of the American population.” – Faith Mitchell (May 16, 2018) http://addpassionandstir.com/bringing-the-love-equity-in-healthcare/

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The second installment in our series of curated episodes revolves around the controversial topics of diversity and immigration. Guests that include renowned chef and humanitarian Jose Andres, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, Oxfam America’s president and CEO Abby Maxman, former Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, and president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Marco Davis share personal stories and impactful insights about America’s complicated and painful history with diversity.

Check out the original episodes by following the links below.

“You have to think about how much our country has benefited from immigration and how immigrants have brought new life, new energy, new views.” -- former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (Sep 18, 2018) http://addpassionandstir.com/genius-knows-no-boundaries/

“Nobody wants to leave the comfort of their homes, the place they belong. They don't want to go to a faraway land that they don't know. Let's provide those people the reason why they should be successful, where they are, where they live.” -- Jose Andres (Oct 18, 2016) http://addpassionandstir.com/the-secret-killer-of-4-million-women-and-children/

“I think that the diversity that our nation has is a tremendous asset and the truth is it's only going to grow in diversity because of the smaller, smaller planet that we occupy. And that's a good thing.” -- former Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera (April 25, 2018) http://addpassionandstir.com/come-together-uniting-people-through-food-and-opportunity/

“We know that [immigration and refugee issues] requires political will and a lot of other things, but we're working tirelessly at all angles - whether it's behind the scenes or in those public spaces - to call out the, the unacceptables and the things that we really need to change.” -- Oxfam America president and CEO Abby Maxman (November 29, 2017) http://addpassionandstir.com/make-it-personal-the-names-and-stories-behind-the-numbers/

“This is the situation in America, for better or worse, it's changing right now in these last couple of years. But the reality is that even as people are starting to have more conversations about race, ethnicity, diversity, we don't have a common vocabulary. We don't have a common understanding about the issue.” -- Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute president and CEO Marco Davis (May 30, 2018) http://addpassionandstir.com/proximity-point-solving-problems-by-getting-closer/

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The over 250 remarkable guests on more than 140 episodes of Add Passion and Stir have shared great wisdom, poignant personal experiences and true inspiration. To create a fresh experience for our listeners, we have curated this powerful content into some brand new episodes with themes like leadership, diversity and inclusion, national security, food equity and child hunger. This first episode is a compilation of expert views on leadership, including Former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, United States Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Congressman Jim McGovern, Civil Rights legend Hubie Jones, Panera Founder Ronn Shaich, and social change pioneer Bill Novelli.

Tune in for perspectives on effective leadership from an all star lineup of seasoned and successful leaders.

“One of the things that I think all of us can do is to model civil discourse and respect for others - for people we don't agree with necessarily. We have to be able to listen to each other and to figure out how we can compromise and work together.” - Jeanne Shaheen

“At some point somebody has to have the political courage and say, ‘No, that's not right, that’s not true’... And at some point in time, you have to say, ‘You know what? We're not playing that game... We're playing the game of getting problems solved in this country.’” - Tom Vilsack

“[Martin Luther King, Jr.] was basically starting with taking us to school... Then he took it to political rally and then he took it to church and by the time I left Jordan Hall, I was so elevated... That was the night that sealed my commitment to work for social justice and racial justice in this society and that I was going to lead a purpose-driven life.” - Hubie Jones

“I got in this to make a difference in the world. It seemed to me that business was an actually a more powerful way to make a difference in the world.” - Ron Shaich

“I go home every night with a song in my heart because [my MBA students] understand that there's more than one bottom line. Sure, they may go to Google, they may go to a Goldman Sachs, but they're going to make a difference.” - Bill Novelli

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How do we achieve lasting social and racial justice in America? 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 talk with Billy Shore about 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 the night in 1956 that helped set the course of his life. 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,” describes Grant.

Both guests share their perspectives on our increasingly divisive culture and finding a path forward. “We have a lot more work to go with the [racial] divide that’s going on now. Mostly we need to learn more about each other and not be afraid of each other,” says Grant. At age 85, Jones is well-known for mentoring thousands of young social justice advocates throughout the years. “Leaders have to be available, leaders have to be accessible - what are we doing for these young leaders to take over, stand on our shoulders and make a difference?,” he challenges.

Listen to this engaging conversation between someone who works for one of the most important museums in America and another who has lived the history it represents.

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How do we inspire resiliency and hope in the kids who need them the most? First Lady of Massachusetts Lauren Baker and Boston restaurateur Chris Himmel (Grill 23, Post 390, Harvest, Bistro du Midi) join host Billy Shore for a heartfelt conversation about how creating positive experiences can have a profound impact on underprivileged kids. Baker discusses her work for the Wonderfund, which partners with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families to provide comfort and dignity to children. These comforts can be as simple as buying a young boy in foster care a baseball glove. “He was able to play little league, engage with his friends, and be part of his community. That’s a moment that really matters for a child,” she explains. Himmel is very intentional about finding causes that he and his restaurants can support that have a direct impact on kids. “If you really care, you can find a way to make a difference. What we get is so much more because our team sees first-hand the difference they can make,” he says of the hands-on programs his restaurants support, including exposing hundreds of kids to farms with Green Growers and the Boys & Girls Club.

First Lady Baker feels that all children deserve support. “No child is responsible for trauma that happens. Kids are dependent on the adults in their lives for survival and when the adults aren’t able for whatever reason to provide for them, the child is the one who suffers,” she says. Himmel feels that immigrants are another vulnerable group who deserve support. “From my standpoint, we couldn’t operate without people who were able to immigrate into our country. If there is additional red tape that prevents additional people from being able to come to our country and make a life for themselves, it’s not just hurting them, it’s hurting our industry and subsequently a lot of other industries,” he believes.

Listen to these two committed children’s advocates discuss their motivations and the impact that simple acts can have on a child’s life.

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Is food the key to solving our healthcare crisis? In this episode marking the two-year anniversary of Add Passion and Stir, Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Washington DC Chef Todd Gray (Equinox, Manna) discuss nutrition as the root cause of our spiraling healthcare costs and the role of Congress with Debbie and Billy Shore. “Food is medicine. What we eat determines our health outcomes in a whole range of areas,” says Congressman McGovern. “We are cooking and operating our restaurant in the way that we are living our lives. I have so many customers changing the way they eat for a multitude of reasons many of them health reasons,” says five-time James Beard Foundation nominee Gray of his healthy vegetable-forward menus that have established him as a leader in the DC sustainable food movement.

McGovern wants to reframe the debate over food programs like SNAP from how much they cost to how much they save. “If we can show you over a ten-year period that you could actually save money, then why would [The Congressional Budget Office] score it as a cost? Hunger and food insecurity in Massachusetts costs about $2.4B a year in avoidable health care costs,” he says. The guests agree that hunger is ultimately a political problem. “We have the food, we have the money, we have the knowledge of what we need to do, we have the infrastructure… we have everything but the political will,” explains McGovern.

Listen to these powerful anti-hunger crusaders talk about how they fight for healthier communities.

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What can Chefs Cycle teach us about finding our strength? Recorded after the rain-soaked second day of Chefs Cycle 2019, Billy Shore discusses riding 300 miles in three days with Cathartes principal Jeff Johnston, ZAZU Kitchen & Farm chef/owner Duskie Estes, chef Elizabeth Falkner and Add Passion & Stir producer Paul “Woody” Woodhull. Woodhull, who is new to cycling, was inspired. “One thing I was told when I went out on a training ride was… you can shift and make it feel like you’re on a level road. For hungry kids, there’s no button they can push to level the road,” he notes. Johnston, an experienced rider, also found the experience meaningful. “It was challenging, but at the same time, you’re feeding kids, you’re doing the right the thing while you’re out riding through the vineyards,” he says.

Estes and Falkner point out that Chefs Cycle does as much for the chef community as it does for No Kid Hungry. “It’s not just that you got the chefs who are cyclists - you are making cyclists out of the chefs,” says Estes. “I hope this can be really inspirational for younger folks getting into the business knowing that if you’re taking care of yourself, then you can better take care of other people,” explains Falkner.

Listen in and experience the commitment and camaraderie that makes Chefs Cycle a powerful event for the riders and the kids they are helping to feed.

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Billy Shore and Producer Paul "Woody" Woodhull are riding 300 miles in 3 days in Santa Rosa to help raise millions of dollars to end childhood hunger in America today so we are offering a reprise of this fascinating discussion. If you want to support the Chef Cycle ride and No Kid Hungry Please click on this link ( https://tinyurl.com/WoodyTurns62 ), to learn how you can join me in the fight to end childhood hunger here in the United States. Every $1 you donate can help connect a child with up to 10 meals.

What do business and politics have in common in today’s climate? Panera Bread Founder and Chairman of the Board Ron Shaich and FoodCorps Co-Founder and CEO Curt Ellis discuss how responsible leadership can inform both business and politics and the central role that food could play. “One of the most powerful things we can do as leaders is first, tell ourselves the truth,” says Shaich. “The hardest part of making decisions is the uncertainty that occurs… You need to project the confidence to everybody to get them over the hurdle while you yourself are unsure.” Ellis describes a key leadership moment when FoodCorps began developing a whole new realm of business skills to address the supply side of school food. “The decision to say: ‘We believe we have the ability to get good at something we’re not yet good at’ was a real decision to put ourselves out there,” he believes.

Ellis sees the power of food in addressing political problems. “Food is this place where so many of the challenges that we must learn how to solve in our country intersect. Food is the place where social justice and racial justice meet environmental sustainability and public health,” he says. Shaich laments the problems created by short-term thinking in business and politics. “We need to examine why our politics has gotten so short term, so coarse and so ‘it’s my way or the highway,’” he says. “Unless we can solve that, we’re not going to be the country in the future that we’ve been in the past.”

Get inspired as two leaders who have found ways to change the world through food share their advice on leadership and making a lasting impact.

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Can technology save small-scale agriculture? Big Burrito Restaurant Group corporate chef Bill Fuller and Rivendale Farms general manager Christine Grady join hosts Debbie and Billy Shore from their hometown of Pittsburgh to talk about food and the future of sustainable agriculture. Grady describes robotic milking systems that allow for 15% more milk from less-stressed cows. “If the cows are getting anxious, that affects the yield and the quality of the milk,” she says. Fuller was on the cutting edge of the sustainable food movement in Pittsburgh twenty years ago. “It was great to watch this transition and transformation and ride along with it. It was really sort of beautiful,” he says.

“So many aspects of our community start to unravel and fray as a result of the disappearance of small farms,” observes Billy Shore. Fuller asks Grady, “Farmers in general are really conservative and slow to change. What are your thoughts on getting farmers to adopt the new technology?” Grady responds that the key may be young farmers. “One of the things that’s incredibly important is to attract the younger generation into farming… You actually need to attract a new workforce that is more interested in looking how to innovate,” she explains.

Listen to this important conversation about the confluence of technology, innovation and sustainability.

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Is our divided political culture energizing or suppressing democracy? Former Nebraska Governor and US Senator Bob Kerrey and renowned chef, restaurateur and food activist Tom Colicchio join Billy Shore to discuss the politics of hunger, public education and our eroding democracy. “The real problem in the food system is [it doesn’t] permit the kind of innovation that will produce a different outcome. You’ve got to create a system whereby the innovators who want to deliver healthy food have an opportunity to get in the door and be successful,” explains Kerrey. Colicchio agrees and talks about the insights he gained from his wife’s (Laurie Silverbush) groundbreaking film about hunger in America, A Place at the Table. “People aren’t hungry in this country because of famine, war or drought. We have enough food to feed people. We don’t have enough political will to feed people,” he notes.

Kerrey sees parallels to our failing education system and worries that the American dream is out of reach for a large portion of the population. “It’s a big distraction looking at these people who bought their kids’ way into college. It’s a moral problem and it’s an economic problem,” he says, referencing the recent college entrance scandal. Colicchio wants to reframe the discussion around free tuition. “12 years isn’t enough anymore - we need to provide 14 years of public education,” he believes.

Hear these two dynamic guests discuss why engaged citizens are the key to the survival of our democracy.

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How do you help social entrepreneurs spread their ideas? Bridgespan Group co-founder and managing partner Jeff Bradach and Bambara Kitchen & Bar executive chef David Bazirgan join host Billy Shore to talk about impact investing and helping non-profits scale to create transformative change. “So much of scaling is about how you create that feeling that has people acting on their own in ways that are aligned and consistent with the vision [that] makes a difference in the world,” explains Bradach. Bazirgan practices a similar philosophy in his kitchen. “I’ve always tried to create a good culture of teamwork, respect and keeping an open dialogue. Lead by example, [practice] good communication, and get buy-in,” he advises.

Bradach cautions that creating large-scale change isn’t as simple as just replicating good ideas. “There’s other virtues of scale, but I do think there’s an underappreciation of that unique, radically local experience that is deeply embedded in community,” he observes. Bazirgan is a big advocate for community nonprofits, and is preparing to ride in his first ChefsCycle for No Kid Hungry event. “I’ve always been one to just say ‘yes’ to everything. We have such an opportunity to give back and provide and support,” he says.

Join us for this conversation that explores the dynamics of social change and the true potential of nonprofits to make transformative change.

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What is the catalyst that makes us want to make a difference? Teach For America DC region Executive Director Adele Fabrikant and Rose’s Luxury head chef Seth Wells join Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss educational inequality, developing leadership and service to community. Fabrikant talks about her 20-year career in public education. “When you see the inequities that you see when you teach in the South Bronx after growing up as privileged as I did, you cannot walk away, you cannot turn and go back to the originally scheduled programming,” she explains about her early experience with Teach For America. Wells is currently preparing for his first Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. “I’m at a point now where there’s always more to learn in the business, but I would like to be able to give back to the community through what I do and make that part of my mission,” he declares.

Fabrikant tells a story about struggling to teach a young boy with extreme anger issues in the South Bronx. “One of the most challenging things is the self-doubt. I feel like that was my loss,” she laments. Wells understands the sentiment within the context of his own work and uses it to become a better chef and leader. “If you feel that comfortable that you’re crushing your job every single day, I don’t know what that feels like. I think self-doubt is important. It’s part of becoming a leader,” he says.

Get personal with these two guests as they discuss how leaders develop their skills and what drives them to want

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Why is sleep the best remedy for just about everything? Billy Shore sits down with Thrive Global Founder and CEO Arianna Huffington and pastry chef and North Fork Table & Inn owner Claudia Fleming to talk about the effects of stress and exhaustion on creativity, productivity and health. “90% of the health care problems we deal with are stress-related and preventable,” says Huffington. “If your life is just about productivity and there is no joy, there is something wrong,” she explains, talking about how her Thrive Global platform helps people improve their well-being and performance. Fleming is aware of her own tendency to overwork. “You can literally never stop. You can stay all night, but if you don’t say ‘I’m leaving’, you can hang out all the time and not be very productive,” she says.

Huffington also discusses how technology and our acrimonious political climate are creating additional stress that can be crippling. “There is absolutely no benefit in living in a perpetual state of outrage. We need to be very protective of our energy and use it wisely, use it to bring about change rather than simply venting,” she advises. Fleming sees her role as a chef as innately political. “Food is politics. You can’t get away from the fact that agribusiness runs a good portion of our government,” she explains.

Listen to this thoughtful discussion on the dangers of exhaustion and burnout and recalibrate your understanding of creativity, productivity and performance.

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How do we help the most vulnerable build on their own strengths? Families in Transition-New Horizons founder and president Maureen Beauregard and Moxy chef and owner Matt Louis join host Billy Shore for the second live episode recorded at the Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, NH, to talk about addiction, mental health, homelessness, and the role healthy food can play for those who are struggling. “When we look at hunger and homelessness, we need to look at the ‘why’ of it and stop judging and calling people names. Can we build on their strengths?,” asks Beauregard. Louis makes it point to use his strengths for good causes. “Always say yes. For whatever reason, the world has made [chefs] more popular then we should be. But it’s a very powerful place to be if you can harness that and use it the right way,” he explains.

Beauregard recounts her own powerful story of perseverance growing up in the foster care system and how it drives her work with Families in Transition-New Horizons. “I can remember what it felt like to be hungry, to be lonely, and it leaves such a hollow feeling inside,” she recalls. Louis applies the same values to his restaurants and the people who work for him. “How can I make their quality of life better while retaining them in what can be a very challenging industry?,” he asks.

Feel the emotion of this personal and heart-felt discussion that illustrates the impact we can have on solving hunger and homelessness.

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How can national and local leadership work together on solutions to our country’s biggest problems? Recorded in front of a live audience at the Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, NH, Billy Shore welcomes Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Black Trumpet chef and owner Evan Mallett and Dondero Elementary School principal Kate Callahan for a lively discussion that considers issues from both national and local perspectives. Outspoken about the nation’s opioid crisis, Shaheen is leading efforts to get resources to local communities. “We’re not going to jail our way out of this epidemic - we’ve got to help people get the treatment they need to be successful,” she explains. Callahan sees first-hand the effects of the crisis on kids. “Housing has become more transient because of the opioid crisis. [Some students] come from a homeless shelter,” she says. Mallett helped start a job fair for people with addiction-based criminal records. “The idea is to introduce restaurants and farmers to candidates who need a second chance, and to hopefully restore their dignity through employment,” he says.

Known for bringing civility and sophistication to public affairs, Shaheen is troubled by today’s political climate. “We have to be able to listen to each other and figure out how we can compromise and work together. We’ve got to make sure that our leaders are as good as our people in this country,” she stresses. Mallett believes one of his roles as a chef is to help facilitate civil discourse. “I feel like food is the ultimate democratizer and the ultimate way to have people sit down and have a conversation. Delivering the food and witnessing that exchange is a truly meaningful part of what I do,” he says.

Get inspired by these three guests who demonstrate through their leadership the best America has to offer.

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How has the rise of the celebrity chef impacted non-profit fundraising? Legendary chef Jonathan Waxman and super fundraiser Billy Harris sit down with host Billy Shore in New York City to talk about celebrity, creativity and how their professional and philanthropic lives came to be intertwined. Waxman was one of the first chefs to use his celebrity on behalf of No Kid Hungry and has continued to do so for 35 years. “The awareness of what you do is so important - a lot of time we ignore the plight of the less fortunate and we kind of put blinders on,” he believes. One of the most sought-after MC/auctioneers in the fundraising world, Harris has hosted more than 200 No Kid Hungry events over the past 15 years and raised more than $100M for various charities. “What I’ve learned is everyone likes to eat and drink and have a good time, and we can all do that and at the same time raise a few bucks for people that are a little less fortunate,” he says.

Waxman was a professional musician before becoming a chef and describes the parallels between the two professions. “I think there’s a lot of loneliness involved with it… At the end of the day, giving back helps assuage part of my loneliness,” he explains. Harris was doing stand-up comedy before he discovered his career 30 years ago and never looked back. “I am not an auctioneer, I’m a funny guy with a microphone that knows how to work a room. I get to be me and do what I love to do and raise money for these organizations,” he concludes.

Listen in as these two long-time No Kid Hungry champions talk about how giving back is central in their lives.

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What is the key to creating sustainable social impact? Social change pioneer Bill Novelli and Washington DC restaurateur and chef Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto, Brothers and Sisters, Spoken English) sit down with Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss cultural identity, community engagement and lasting social impact. As the former architect of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Novelli built a social marketing program that successfully challenged big tobacco’s overwhelming political and cultural influence. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my life is that we can move the mountain… but we’ve got to start by saying, ‘we can do it,’” says Novelli. “We need to change social norms and expectations,” he continues. Bruner-Yang thinks the solutions to intractable social issues like gun violence require long-term inter-generational thinking. “If you’re 40-plus, your mind is made up. America can be and has been at the forefront of social change. Some of these big issues you have to just skip a generation,” he observes.

As a professor in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, Novelli sees the promise of the next generation of leaders. “I go home every night with a song in my heart because they understand that there’s more than one bottom line. They want purpose. They want to work in an organization that doesn’t just have a profit, but also cares about people and the planet,” he says. Long-time No Kid Hungry supporter Bruner-Yang describes how his former passion for music translated into owning restaurants. “It’s a lot of the same tangibles. You get to be creative, you’re entertaining people, you’re using a lot of the same thought processes,” he notes.

Listen in as these two guests discuss talk about how their values have motivated them to lead purpose-driven lives.

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How do we find opportunities where others see only problems? The BASE founder and president Robert Lewis Jr. and Mida chef and owner Douglass Williams join host Billy Shore for an enlightening conversation about using love and generosity to build community and create generational change. Lewis started The BASE as a way to re-imagine pathways to success for urban youth. “Language matters… we don’t use language around ‘at-risk, disadvantaged and underserved.’ Our young folks are ‘untapped, great and resilient,’” he says. Williams agrees that words can help change minds and hearts. “If everybody just picked up a book about something that they’ve never read before, that would solve 90% of the racism, 90% of the problems we have. It’s just about educating yourself,” he says.

Both guests discuss how their personal experiences have shaped the work they do today. Williams talk about having a serious illness as a child and how his world travels have shaped his perspective. “It’s humbling because you see how other people live… that’s what changes your mind, that’s the mind switch. You cannot unsee the truth,” he explains. Lewis tells personal stories of the racism and violence he endured growing up in the projects in Boston. “People said ‘mother had me at 17, welfare, growing up in the projects, no dad, somebody already wrote the story.’ And we turned around and I guess we kicked that story.” Now he is helping inner city youth because he believes all kids deserve opportunities.

Share in this uplifting conversation that illuminates the impact of sharing the spirit of generosity and love.

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Sounding the Alarm for Racial Justice and a Stronger Democracy

What is America’s original sin? In part 2 of this timely discussion, Jim Wallis and Michael Schlow share their observations on racism, immigration and the threat to our democracy. “Our original sin of racism wasn’t just slavery. Christians said we can’t do what we are doing to indigenous people and Africans if we believe they are people made in the image of God. So, we’ll say they weren’t,” explains Wallis about the origins of structural racism in America. “If your parents taught you to hate, chances are it’s going to be really hard to unwind that as an adult,” says Schlow.

“I always want to believe that we’re decent, good people at heart... Unfortunately, hate is something that is really prevalent in our country and now it’s been exposed,” laments Schlow. “This isn’t political disagreement. The wall does not protect us - it’s a monument to racism,” Wallis states. “Our democracy is literally at stake now. It’s not clear that our institutions will have the resilience to survive all this,” he warns.

Continue this powerful conversation that sounds the alarm for racial justice and a stronger democracy.

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How will we overcome systemic racial injustice in America? In this deeply personal conversation, Sojourners President and Founder Jim Wallis and James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schlow talk with Debbie and Billy Shore about poverty, equality and race relations in America. “Abraham Lincoln said that ‘leaders should appeal to our better angels’, but this president appeals to our worst demons and he calls them up and they’re right below the surface,” says Wallis about the prevalence of racism in America. Schlow learned the power of being open-minded at a young age. “My mother and my dad felt that an open house was an important component of the community. You’re not supposed to be building walls right now, you’re supposed to be opening doors,” he says.

Wallis cites research that 75% of white Americans don’t have one significant relationship with a person of color and therefore do not know how much they may have in common with one another. “We’ve got to start having dinner together and hearing about our hopes and dreams for our kids. Right now, the soul of America is at stake,” he cautions. “In my company we’re not just here to take care of the guests, we’re here to take care of each other. When somebody has a crisis… our restaurant family comes to each other’s aid,” notes Schlow.

Feel empowered by part 1 of a poignant conversation about the connections between our personal values and the social and political change we want to see in the world.

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What is the backbone of our strength as a nation? In this episode from Washington DC, former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and The Salt Line chef Kyle Bailey sit down with host Billy Shore to discuss the economic vitality of our country. “We’re in a [global] competition for which system of government works best in a time of change. We always thought that once we won the Cold War… democracy was the best way to do it and everyone was going to see that,” says Vilsack. Bailey’s focus on sustainable seafood sourcing cooperatives aims to democratize food and support people whose livelihoods rely on fishing. “The idea was to cut a couple steps out of the supply chain to get the freshest and best fish, and it gets money back into the pockets of the actual fisherman,” says Bailey.

The guests discuss the impact of the current political disagreements around immigration, which affects the restaurant industry and many others. “Immigrant populations have historically done the jobs that are really hard. When we’re fearful, the whole American experience gets interrupted,” notes Vilsack. “Yeah, [democracy] is a little messy but eventually it gets the job done in a way doesn’t limit people’s freedoms and abilities.”

Get informed and inspired as these two guests share their thoughts about politics, sustainable food and agriculture.

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Tom Vilsack served eight years as the nation’s 30th Secretary of Agriculture under President Obama where he worked diligently to strengthen the American agricultural economy, build vibrant rural communities and create new markets for the tremendous innovation of rural America. Currently President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), he provides strategic leadership and oversight of USDEC's global promotional and research activities, regulatory affairs and trade policy initiatives. He is on the Board of Directors of Feeding America, the nation’s largest anti-hunger organization. He also served two terms as the Governor of Iowa.

· Feeding America’s mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. For more than 35 years, Feeding America has responded to the hunger crisis in America by providing food to people in need through a nationwide network of food banks. The national organization for food banks was established in 1979 as Second Harvest, which was later called America’s Second Harvest the Nation’s Food Bank Network. In 2008, the network changed its name to Feeding America to better reflect the mission of the organization. Today, Feeding America is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization—a powerful and efficient network of 200 food banks across the country. The Feeding America network of food banks feeds 46 million people at risk of hunger, including 12 million children and 7 million seniors.

· The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Dairy Management Inc. founded USDEC in 1995 and, through the dairy checkoff program, is the organization’s primary funder. USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service provides export activity support, and membership dues fund the Council’s trade policy and lobbying activities. USDEC’s mission is to enhance demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients by securing access and assisting suppliers to meet market needs that facilitate sales.

· Kyle Bailey is chef and partner of Long Shot Hospitality. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Kyle Bailey has helmed kitchens from luxury resorts in the Caribbean to great restaurants in New York and DC, including Birch & Barley and Churchkey. He’s learned from great chefs, including Shea Gallante and Dan Barber, and mentored dozens of others, sharing his interest in and knowledge of sustainability in local food systems. Kyle was named “The People’s Best New Chef” Mid-Atlantic region in 2011 by Food & Wine.

· The Salt Line is part of Long Shot Hospitality (LSH), a Washington DC-based restaurant group led by Kyle Bailey, Jeremy Carman, Gavin Coleman & Paul Holder. The partners and their other properties (Sixth Engine, Town Hall, The Dubliner) are known for great atmosphere, reliable service, excellent food and an enjoyable vibe—the kinds of places you meet up with friends again and again. The Salt Line, creates a lively and welcoming experience of classic New England dishes influenced by the bounty of the Chesapeake.

· Dock to Dish is an international network of small-scale fishermen, marine biologists and sustainable seafood advocates working in teams from ports and harbors across North and Central America. They are collectively committed to making local, traceable, low-impact wild seafood accessible to organized groups of cooperative members through unique community and restaurant supported fishery programs. In June of 2017, The United Nations Foundation designated the Dock to Dish community and restaurant supported fishery model as one of the top breakthrough innovations that can scale to solve the ocean’s grand challenges.

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How do you build and sustain a purpose-driven organization? Chef Joy Crump (FOODĒ and Mercantile) and HUNGRY Chairman Jeff Grass join Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about the entrepreneurial experience and the core values that drive their organizations. “Our core purpose is to make the lives we touch better - anything we do has to be better for everybody,” says Grass about how his company is elevating the office catering industry while creating new career paths and better pay for chefs. “Loving is management and kindness is part of what can give you structure and discipline. People respond to that,” explains Crump about what underlies the success of her restaurants in Historic Downtown Fredericksburg, VA.

In building their teams, both guests are adamant about staying true to the culture they’ve built. “If we sense that you’re not kind or not concerned about the guest experience we won’t welcome you back,” says Crump. “Values and purpose are what help create a foundation for a good culture, and we focus a lot on our people and how to develop them,” notes Grass.

Learn from two purpose-driven entrepreneurs explaining why a focus on core values is the key to building a successful business.

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How do we ensure dignity for people experiencing food insecurity? City Harvest Senior Director of Programs Kate MacKenzie and Gem chef Flynn McGarry sit down with Billy Shore in New York City to discuss how their passion for food drives their commitment to creating social change. “Through City Harvest, I’m able to work on making large-scale change, while also making sure people have food on their tables tonight,” says MacKenzie. A prodigy chef and restaurateur since age 11, McGarry understands the power of his celebrity to influence. “We’re going to do the restaurant, but in tandem we need to give back and try to be bigger than the space we’re confined in,” he explains. “

Both guests are passionate about solving food insecurity. “It’s not just about distributing more and more food to people who need it… it’s making sure it gets into their stomachs in a way that’s appropriate and desirable for them,” says MacKenzie about how City Harvest will help feed 1.2M food insecure New Yorkers this year. “Cooking for yourself is such an important skill. I know so many people in their 20s and 30s who don’t know how to make themselves dinner, which relates to this dependency on fast food,” says McGarry.

Share in this conversation that highlights how a passion for food motivates these guests to make an impact.

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How can food and collaboration help build healthier communities? City Fresh Foods President and Founder and Foundation for Business Equity Executive Director Glynn Lloyd and PAGU chef Tracy Chang chat with Billy Shore in Boston about how and why community is a central tenet of their respective organizations. “It’s an ecosystem community approach to really help support an entrepreneurial class that’s necessary for their communities,” Lloyd explains about the Business Equity Initiative, which provides advisors, infrastructure subsidies and growth capital to help grow black- and Latino-owned businesses. Community is also central to Chang’s view of her restaurant. “We want to be here for the long run, so that means we need to listen to our community and be actively involved, and really take to heart the feedback we receive,” she says.

Both guests discuss the leadership qualities that are most important to achieve their goals. “You have to be open to doing anything and everything, and that requires a lot of positive thinking… I’m ready to receive anyone with a negative mood and turn that around,” explains Chang. Lloyd practices what he calls deep listening as a way to motivate people. “Do you really understand the world around you, the people you’re working with, what motivates them, and then put that back into where you’re going as an organization?,” he asks.

Listen and learn from two entrepreneurs who use their businesses to build both profit and community.

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Glynn Lloyd has been a pioneer in the field of transformative urban economic development for more than 25 years. He is the President and Founder of City Fresh Foods and is currently the Executive Director of the Foundation for Business Equity. The Foundation's first initiative is The Business Equity Initiative designed to scale up local Black and Latino enterprises in Eastern MA. Over the last few decades, Glynn has been involved in the local food movement, more recently in helping to establish The Urban Farming Institute (UFI). UFI has the mission of supporting urban residents in the production of their own food for improved health and community resiliency.

· Business Equity Initiative (BEI) was launched by the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation in April 2017 to mitigate growing inequality by combining business growth, supplier partnerships, and community transformative development as a means of addressing growing wealth and income inequality in Massachusetts. The Initiative is focused on growing enterprises of color by leveraging Eastern’s networks and philanthropic dollars as well as providing targeted, customizable growth tools including embedded trusted strategic advisors, operational support, growth capital, and market access to enterprises of color positioned for growth. This Initiative targets Black and Latino businesses because research shows that this is where the inequities and wealth gap is the greatest.

· City Fresh Foods is on a mission to make healthier communities by delivering fresh, wholesome meals to organizations throughout the Boston area, educating and advocating for more nutritious food choices, and building sustainable careers for our dedicated staff and local growers. City Fresh is a nationally recognized provider of affordable, high-quality whole meals, with a mission-driven business model that supports community development.

· Tracy Chang is the chef and owner of PAGU a Japanese Spanish fusion restaurant that bridges cuisines and cultures in Cambridge, MA. Chang’s love for the restaurant industry began at an early age at her grandmother’s Japanese restaurant in Cambridge. She furthered her craft at famed Japanese restaurant O Ya in Boston. She went on to study with Pâtissier Nicolas Bernardé at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and cook alongside Chef Martín Berasategui at his Michelin three-star restaurant in San Sebastian. After returning to Boston, she co-founded Guchi’s Midnight Ramen and joined the Harvard Science and Cooking program as a teaching fellow before opening PAGU in 2017.

· PAGU combines Japanese and Spanish cuisine to create a dining experience that is greater than the sum of its parts. The menu reflects the background and travels of chef Tracy Chang. The beverage list features wines from the Iberian Peninsula and Basque Country, Japanese sake, Spanish ciders and sherry, and more. In addition to offering delicious, soulful food, PAGU emphasizes health, sustainability and community.

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What do business and politics have in common in today’s climate? Panera Bread Founder and Chairman of the Board Ron Shaich and FoodCorps Co-Founder and CEO Curt Ellis discuss how responsible leadership can inform both business and politics and the central role that food could play. “One of the most powerful things we can do as leaders is first, tell ourselves the truth,” says Shaich. “The hardest part of making decisions is the uncertainty that occurs… You need to project the confidence to everybody to get them over the hurdle while you yourself are unsure.” Ellis describes a key leadership moment when FoodCorps began developing a whole new realm of business skills to address the supply side of school food. “The decision to say: ‘We believe we have the ability to get good at something we’re not yet good at’ was a real decision to put ourselves out there,” he believes.

Ellis sees the power of food in addressing political problems. “Food is this place where so many of the challenges that we must learn how to solve in our country intersect. Food is the place where social justice and racial justice meet environmental sustainability and public health,” he says. Shaich laments the problems created by short-term thinking in business and politics. “We need to examine why our politics has gotten so short term, so coarse and so ‘it’s my way or the highway,’” he says. “Unless we can solve that, we’re not going to be the country in the future that we’ve been in the past.”

Get inspired as two leaders who have found ways to change the world through food share their advice on leadership and making a lasting impact.

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What does fake news have to do with the Farm Bill? Former U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences Kevin Concannon and award-winning chef and cookbook author Hugh Acheson talk with host Billy Shore about the importance of public service, nutrition and basic cooking skills, and the recently passed Farm Bill. “I’m as pleased with the Farm Bill for what is not in it - some of these ‘poison pills’ so to speak - that really intended to just harm people,” says Concannon. Acheson connects the fights around important Farm Bill components like SNAP (food stamps) – on which 40M Americans depend, half of them children - to a larger trend in our society. “We no longer believe that the best natural resource we have is the next generation. These kids all deserve an equal chance within the most prosperous nation on earth,” he insists.

In his hometown of Athens, Georgia, Acheson developed a home economics program called Seed Life Skills to teach middle schoolers the basics of preparing healthy meals. “I think my duty in this life is to strip away the pretension about food and make people realize that we can all feed ourselves, we can feed those around us,” he says. As Under Secretary, Concannon visited one of the middle schools where the kids were growing, preparing and feeding meals to senior citizens in the community. “They had inculcated the knowledge and the values in these middle school kids and they were really committed. It was just wonderful to see it,” he observes.

Listen to these two guests set the record straight about the lasting, positive impact of social programs that focus on our greatest natural resource - our children.

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What are the common ingredients for high-functioning organizations? Lovin’ Spoonfuls founder and Executive Director Ashley Stanley and distinguished Boston chef and restaurateur Colin Lynch (Bar Mezzana and Shore Leave) join host Billy Shore to discuss their philosophies on building successful organizations and strong communities. Stanley recounts why she started Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a Boston nonprofit organization that rescues and distributes healthy, fresh food that would otherwise be discarded. “When you’re there with folks who have the same goals as you… you hear people talking about it in the office. ‘How do we make this better not just for our team, but ultimately for our end-users,’” she explains. Lynch, who was struck by the camaraderie of the kitchen at a very young age, believes his success derives from putting his employees in a position to succeed. “Our business is 100% about people, and the only way we can continue to grow and thrive and take care of our guests is if we continue to take care of the people that work for us,” he says.

Both guests talk about drawing strength from their communities. “Lovin’ Spoonfuls wouldn’t be here without it - fundraising for a non-profit is a challenging endeavor and in the beginning it really was anything we could do,” says Stanley about when Lovin’ Spoonfuls was getting off the ground. The organization now rescues about 70K pounds of fresh healthy food that feeds about 30K to 35K people each week. Lynch tells the story about a restaurant worker who was seriously injured in an assault and the response from the Boston culinary community to help him recover. “It’s a very comforting feeling to know if something happens to you, everyone will be there to support you in this community,” he maintains.

Join us for a conversation that gets to the heart of how to build successful organizations and the importance of teamwork and community.

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Ashley Stanley is the founder and executive director of Lovin’ Spoonfuls. She has created unparalleled awareness for food rescue, with dedication to addressing the significant consequences of food waste. In 2011 the Boston Business Journal named her an ‘Emerging Leader’. In 2012, Lovin’ Spoonfuls was a two-time winner of the Mass Challenge competition, which is the largest global start-up accelerator. In 2013 Ashley was selected as one of the BBJ’s 2013 ’40 under 40′, which recognizes Boston’s most innovative business leaders. In 2014, Ashley was recognized by The Boston Globe as a ‘Game Changer, and in Boston Magazine‘s ‘Power of Ideas’. She is one of Oxfam International’s Sisters of the Planet Ambassadors. A Fellow at The 2013 Nantucket Project, she’s also a member of TEDWomen, and a TEDx community speaker. She’s been featured on NPR, and written for The Huffington Post’s ‘ReClaim’ campaign.

· Lovin’ Spoonfuls is dedicated to facilitating the rescue and distribution of healthy, fresh food that would otherwise be discarded throughout Greater Boston and beyond. They pick up wholesome, perishable food from grocery stores, produce wholesalers, farms and farmers markets, and distribute it to more than 140 community nonprofits that feed hungry people across Greater Boston and MetroWest. Lovin’ Spoonfuls connects abundance and excess food with the food insecure men, women, children and families who need it most. Their timely rescue of food that has been deemed no longer salable — slightly bruised produce, dairy nearing its sell-by date, or perfectly good food products that are determined to be excess — provides meals to more than 30,000 individuals each week. Since 2010, Lovin’ Spoonfuls has rescued and distributed more than 8 million pounds of fresh, healthy food into the social service stream.

· Colin Lynch is chef and partner of Bar Mezzana located in Boston's South End. He received his Bachelor’s Degree at the Culinary Institute of America before settling in Boston and working at Chef Barbara Lynch’s flagship restaurant No. 9 Park. He was on the team there as she received her James Beard Award for “Best Chef Northeast” in 2003. Colin was then promoted to the role of Chef de Cuisine at No. 9 Park starting in 2004. During this time, as Chef Barbara Lynch expanded to the South End with B&G Oysters and The Butcher Shop, he helped her develop menus and the teams. In 2007, he became Executive Chef for the Gruppo, where he was responsible for the Gruppo’s entire Back of House operations, including menu development, training, quality control, and supervision of all the Gruppo’s restaurants’ Chef de Cuisines. He led the opening of Menton, which achievied Boston’s first Relais & Chateaux designation, was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for “Best New Restaurant” in 2011, named as one of the best new restaurants in the country by Esquire, and received The Boston Globe's first four-star review from food editor, Devra First. In June 2016, Lynch opened Bar Mezzana to rave reviews from local press and guests who praise the inspired crudo, handmade pastas, and warm hospitality. He recently opened his second restaurant, Shore Leave, in Boston’s South End.

· Bar Mezzana brings the simplicity and beauty of coastal Italian cooking to a sleek, vibrant space at 360 Harrison Avenue in Boston. Aperol spritzes, an award-winning crudo menu, and a career steeped in pasta making are highlighted by genuine, warm service and hospitality. Led by Heather Lynch and Beverage Director Ryan Lotz, Bar Mezzana’s wine program showcases a thoughtfully curated selection of varietals to pair with Chef Lynch’s food, with both widely loved bottles and lesser-known (but equally enjoyable) discoveries. Shore Leave is a tiki bar and restaurant in Boston’s South End. It is an interpretation of a tropical escape through the lens Boston’s rich dining scene.

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Is being fortunate an obligation to help others? Host Billy Shore travels to Portland, Maine to chat with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo and pastry chef and restaurant owner Ilma Lopez (Piccolo, Chaval) about the good fortune that has propelled their careers and how they use their talents to create social impact. “Successful people don’t like to talk about how important luck is… Luck does have a large part to do with success,” says Russo. Lopez agrees that being in the right place at the right time helped her career advance, and her habit is to give back when something fortunate happens to her. “The more blessings we have in our lives, the more we have to give. Every time something good happens to us we have to give something out,” she believes.

The guests discuss whether social responsibility is more important than ever given our current political climate. Russo and Lopez agree it comes down to using our strengths. “Storytelling is about empathy… and that is an act of moral imagination. I use my time to make myself heard on moral issues,” says Russo. “We talk at the restaurant ‘Is it really meaningful what we’re doing or should we really be doing something else? What if we close the restaurant and go down to the border and try and feed these kids?,’” asks Lopez. However, she concludes that helping neighbors and local charities can ultimately be just as valuable.

Share in this thoughtful conversation among people who see social responsibility as a basic human instinct as well as a moral obligation.

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How do we rebuild trust in our institutions and leaders? Executive Vice President, Communications and External Relations at Brandeis University Ira Jackson and Boston chef and restaurateur Chris Coombs (dbar, Boston Chops and Deuxave) weave a powerful narrative about social responsibility, entrepreneurship and urban renewal with host Billy Shore. Jackson, who was Chief of Staff to Mayor Kevin White in 1970’s Boston, vividly describes the urban decay that defined the city at the time and the racism and violence that erupted over the school bussing program. “A whole generation of students was lost. The notion that 44 years later, today Boston would be the kind of tolerant, inclusive, hip, young city that it is, is a story of redemption,” he says. Coombs relates his own experience of becoming chef and partner of dbar, a restaurant that was built on a commitment to diversity and inclusion. “When you talk about stories in the mid 70’s, the amount of progress we’ve been able to make as a city and a country in very short amount of time is incredible. But progress only happens if you’re committed to making it.

Coombs, who owns four restaurants and employs hundreds, has intentionally built social responsibility into his organization, focusing on family homelessness and hunger. “As we grow, it makes me realize how much it’s about imparting culture and vision and letting your team share that with others,” he says. Billy Shore asks Jackson what he has learned from a career that has spanned the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors. “Part of the moral of the story is we can’t do this on our own and government shouldn’t do it for us, so we need public/private partnerships and collaboration,” he believes. However, he is concerned that trust in our leaders and institutions has almost completely eroded. “I think you have to rebuild it locally - people have to see and touch and feel the impact they’re having because they don’t trust somebody far away,” concludes Shore.

Listen to this conversation between two dynamic storytellers as they discuss urban renewal and revitalization through the lens of their personal experiences in the city of Boston.

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Ira Jackson is executive vice president, communications and external relations at Brandeis University. He provides leadership for Brandeis' relations with the community, government, businesses and other institutions locally, nationally and globally and assists the president and others in advancing and communicating Brandeis' intellectual and institutional contributions. Jackson has held senior positions in government, business and academia. In government, he served as chief of staff to former Boston Mayor Kevin White and later as Massachusetts Commissioner of Revenue under Gov. Michael Dukakis. In academia, he served as senior associate dean of Harvard's Kennedy School and director of its Center for Business and Government. He also served as president of the Arizona State University Foundation, dean of the Peter Drucker School of Management at the Claremont Colleges, and dean of the John W. McCormack School of Policy and Global Studies and vice provost of the University of Massachusetts Boston. In business, for a dozen years Jackson was executive vice president of BankBoston. He has also played leadership roles in a number of civic initiatives, including CityYear, the Boston Foundation, the New England Holocaust Memorial and Facing History and Ourselves. A graduate of Harvard College, he received his MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School and graduated from the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

· Brandeis University is a medium-sized private research university with global reach dedicated to first-rate undergraduate education while making groundbreaking discoveries. Its 235-acre campus is located in the suburbs of Boston, a global hub for higher education and innovation. Its faculty are leaders in their fields, as passionate about teaching and mentorship as they are about pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Brandeis students are motivated, compassionate, curious and open to exploring new and challenging experiences. It is a community rooted in purpose, guided by its founding values, poised to lead in education and research in the 21st century.

· Chris Coombs is chef and co-owner of Boston Urban Hospitality which owns dbar, Deuxave, and Boston Chops. Coombs graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York and worked under award-winning chefs in Massachusetts and then Virginia. He returned to Boston and in 2006 and created Boston Urban Hospitality with business partner Brian Piccini. In 2010, Coombs opened his first restaurant, Deuxave, in Boston. Coombs’ cuisine at Deuxave is strongly rooted in the nouvelle techniques of contemporary French cuisine, married with the splendor of American ingredients in a refined setting. Since then, Coombs’ success has grabbed the attention of both local and national media, including an appearance on Food Network’s “Chopped” and recognition by Food & Wine magazine as a candidate for “The People’s Best New Chef in New England.” In early 2013, Coombs and Piccini debuted his third concept, Boston Chops. The urban steak bistro has been named one of Food & Wine magazine’s “Best New Steakhouses” and won Best Steakhouse 2015 from Boston magazine’s coveted Best of Boston awards. In 2013, Coombs was named “30 Under 30” for chefs by Forbes Magazine’s and Zagat. He was also named the Massachusetts Restaurant Association’s “Restaurateur of the Year” for 2015.

· Boston Urban Hospitality currently owns and operates four restaurants in Boston--Deuxave, Boston Chops (South End and Downtown) and dbar. It is made up of a team of passionate hospitality professionals who believe in seasonal, sustainable, and local food and value a work environment where passion produces excellence. From focusing on exceptional service to cooking heartfelt and exciting meals to remember, Boston Urban Hospitality scrutinizes every detail that goes into orchestrating unforgettable culinary experiences.

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What did we lose when we became a generationally segregated society? Encore.org President and CEO Marc Freedman and celebrated chef Stephan Pyles join hosts Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about aging well and how to make a lasting impact in the world. “An important part of purpose in later life is connecting in ways that flow down the generational chain and that nurture the future that we won’t even see,” explains Freedman about why Encore.org bringing older and young people together to solve social problems is a rare approach in this time of ‘age apartheid’ in our society. Chef Pyles describes how a recent trip to India impacted his perspective on life as he ages. “It made me understand that I’m just a person living in the moment and have to be a part of all that’s around me… I’ve gotten closer to my humanity the older I get,” he reflects.

Freedman cites research about how older people who connect with younger generations are much more likely to be happy as those who fail to do so. “This idea of connecting the generations is about so much more than efficiency, it’s about humanity and something fundamental in the human experience,” he says.

Chef Pyles has found this in his own career, fondly remembering the influence Julia Child had on him as a young chef. “I remember how important it was when she took an interest and told a story…I learned so much from her and I’ve tried to return that gift to the people that I’ve mentored,” he says.

Get inspired by this conversation that offers keen insights into how we can leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

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This week’s episode picks up where last week’s conversation left off. The World Food Programme’s Carmen Burbano, chef Floyd Cardoz and Billy Shore delve more deeply into international school feeding programs, cooking with indigenous foods, and the role chefs can play in bringing attention to these issues. “Every country in the world is trying to feed its school children. Keeping kids, specifically girls, in school can really be the key to… stopping the cycle of poverty and hunger,” says Burbano. Cardoz discusses how chefs can shine a spotlight on an issue. “Chefs do have a voice now. These [TV] shows are making us superstars, but no matter which show we are on, we care about what we do, we care about feeding and keeping people happy,” says Cardoz.

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Can the U.S. farm-to-table movement inform anti-hunger programs in developing countries? This episode takes an international turn with renowned chef and restaurateur Floyd Cardoz (Bombay Bread Bar, Bombay Canteen, O Pedro) and World Food Programme (WFP) School Feeding Division Director Carmen Burbano for part one of a two-part conversation with host Billy Shore. Indian-born Cardoz says that while the focus on using local ingredients in the U.S. has created economic opportunities for small farmers and suppliers here, people in India still prefer imported food. His restaurants in India are teaching people that traditional, local ingredients can be cool. “If we sustain the community, we sustain the food source, food gets cheaper, more people eat,” he explains. Burbano discusses how WFP connects the demand created by its school feeding programs to smallholder farmer markets in many countries. “This has generated income and livelihood opportunities for millions of farmers, many of them women… and kids are automatically getting more nutritious food,” she notes.

In addition to farmers, Burbano discusses developing networks to disseminate nutrition information to pregnant women and young mothers. In Peru, which was battling a childhood anemia epidemic, WFP teamed up with the country’s chef community to create a cooking show (Cocinar con Causa) around better eating and cooking habits to fight anemia. “Chefs have a very important influence on how people choose to eat what they eat,” she says. In India, Cardoz is trying to overcome cultural barriers to teach his community to give back. “Indians believe in giving to the gods, but not so much giving to the community,” he says. He founded a culinary event that brings the community together to raise money for designated causes. “People do want to give, but they don’t know how,” he explains.

Join us for this important conversation about innovative solutions to international hunger issues.

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A Fire Has Been Lit: Activating for Social Justice

Americans everywhere are asking whether values like equality and upward mobility are being advanced or set back by President Trump’s proposed budget cuts. In this time of heated debate, Add Passion and Stir guests Chef Matt Jennings of Townsman in Boston and William Foster of The Bridgespan Group share their expertise on how we can activate the sense of urgency many of us feel right now. These two leaders chat with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about how they and others are leading change right now during this ‘scary time’ for social justice. Chef Matt notes that “A fire has been lit… and it’s burning hotter and brighter than ever before,” and William believes that “threats and challenges can bring out greatness.” Chef Matt describes the work he is doing connecting with his restaurant guests, the broader community, and his own employees to ensure everyone has access to food and a fair standard of living. William outlines how he is helping both philanthropists and social justice nonprofits see the opportunities to drive transformative change in this unsettled time. Be inspired by how these industries are rallying to make it better.

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How can we move poor communities from hopelessness to hopefulness? In this fascinating episode of

Add Passion and Stir, Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO of Heifer International, and Matt Bell, chef and

owner of South on Main restaurant in Little Rock, share insights about creating value in poor communities

with hosts Debbie and Billy Shore. 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,” 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.

Heifer International provides resources, capital, and knowledge to help enable small farmers to generate

sustainable income, which gets cycled back into their communities creating opportunities for building

schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

Ferrari describes a program with female farmers in Nepal which is creating a goat meat value-chain by

working with banks to fund this system. There are now 150,000 women organized into small self-help

groups, which organize into larger co-ops and then an even larger union. “They are now feeling the

dignity of being economically self-reliant,” he concludes. Heifer International measures success by giving

people a ‘living income,’ which is a carefully calculated value that is “very complicated…but basically lets

farmers live a life of dignity,” says Ferrari. Bell recalls his childhood when parents in his community

created an informal system to ensure one little boy growing up in poverty always had food. “A group of

moms would take turns packing and extra lunch for Daniel, and they would say, ‘Make sure you give this

to Daniel before you get to class, so there’s no stigma,’” he remembers. Growing up on a cattle ranch

also gave him a unique perspective on the food chain. “An understanding of that gives us more empathy

into how we tackle hunger issues worldwide and locally.” Bell’s values led him to become a passionate

supporter of the No Kid Hungry campaign.

Get inspired by this sincere discussion about ending hunger and poverty.

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Does the health of future generations depend on empowering women? 1,000 Days Founder and Executive Director Lucy Martinez Sullivan and noted sommelier and Society Fair (Alexandria, VA) General Manager Nadine Brown talk to Debbie and Billy Shore about the long-term consequences of poor nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood. Sullivan shares that this is the period when a child’s brain development is crucial. “If we care about kids… we actually have to care about their mothers. If we don’t get kids off to the right start, we’re going to pay for that later down the road in higher health care costs and lower economic productivity,” she explains. Unfortunately, Brown sees today’s political climate working against women and families that struggle with food security. “[There’s a belief that] you’ve done something to put yourself in this place - there’s a little bit of blame,” she says.

Both guests are daughters of immigrant mothers who helped set them on the right path and also mothers themselves. They agree that motherhood inspires them to advocate for childhood nutrition and food security. “When I started this work, it was sort of an intellectual passion. Then when I got pregnant and went through that journey myself, it became an emotional passion,” says Sullivan. Brown also believes becoming a mother deepened her sense of community. “Feeding people is such a personal thing, giving people nourishment, feeding people is love,” she says. “I think everybody feels that tremendous sense of responsibility when they have a child. They feel responsibility for everybody in a way they didn’t before,” concludes Debbie Shore.

Get inspired by this deeply personal conversation among fierce advocates for children.

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How do we inspire resiliency and hope in the kids who need them the most? First Lady of Massachusetts Lauren Baker and Boston restaurateur Chris Himmel (Grill 23, Post 390, Harvest, Bistro du Midi) join host Billy Shore for a heartfelt conversation about how creating positive experiences can have a profound impact on underprivileged kids. Baker discusses her work for the Wonderfund, which partners with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families to provide comfort and dignity to children. These comforts can be as simple as buying a young boy in foster care a baseball glove. “He was able to play little league, engage with his friends, and be part of his community. That’s a moment that really matters for a child,” she explains. Himmel is very intentional about finding causes that he and his restaurants can support that have a direct impact on kids. “If you really care, you can find a way to make a difference. What we get is so much more because our team sees first-hand the difference they can make,” he says of the hands-on programs his restaurants support, including exposing hundreds of kids to farms with Green Growers and the Boys & Girls Club.

First Lady Baker feels that all children deserve support. “No child is responsible for trauma that happens. Kids are dependent on the adults in their lives for survival and when the adults aren’t able for whatever reason to provide for them, the child is the one who suffers,” she says. Himmel feels that immigrants are another vulnerable group who deserve support. “From my standpoint, we couldn’t operate without people who were able to immigrate into our country. If there is additional red tape that prevents additional people from being able to come to our country and make a life for themselves, it’s not just hurting them, it’s hurting our industry and subsequently a lot of other industries,” he believes.

Listen to these two committed children’s advocates discuss their motivations and the impact that simple acts can have on a child’s life.

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Is food the key to solving our healthcare crisis? In this episode marking the two-year anniversary of Add Passion and Stir, Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Washington DC Chef Todd Gray (Equinox, Manna) discuss nutrition as the root cause of our spiraling healthcare costs and the role of Congress with Debbie and Billy Shore. “Food is medicine. What we eat determines our health outcomes in a whole range of areas,” says Congressman McGovern. “We are cooking and operating our restaurant in the way that we are living our lives. I have so many customers changing the way they eat for a multitude of reasons many of them health reasons,” says five-time James Beard Foundation nominee Gray of his healthy vegetable-forward menus that have established him as a leader in the DC sustainable food movement.

McGovern wants to reframe the debate over food programs like SNAP from how much they cost to how much they save. “If we can show you over a ten-year period that you could actually save money, then why would [The Congressional Budget Office] score it as a cost? Hunger and food insecurity in Massachusetts costs about $2.4B a year in avoidable health care costs,” he says. The guests agree that hunger is ultimately a political problem. “We have the food, we have the money, we have the knowledge of what we need to do, we have the infrastructure… we have everything but the political will,” explains McGovern.

Listen to these powerful anti-hunger crusaders talk about how they fight for healthier communities.

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With so many social justice problems to solve, where do we start? Bread for the World President David Beckmann and Chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern talk to Debbie and Billy Shore about social justice causes and why a focus on hunger can impact other problems as well. “Hunger is an organizing center. If you’re going to reduce hunger, it’s not enough to give people food assistance,” says Beckmann. Zimmern, a tireless food security advocate, agrees. “You’ve got to start somewhere… food justice, I use it to talk about everything from addiction to adoption from jobs programs to the crime issues in our country,” he says. They discuss the connection of food and economic opportunity, criminal justice reform, and healthcare.

Both guests and the Shores, who lead the No Kid Hungry campaign, believe the federal government needs to take a leading role in the fight against hunger at home and abroad. “It is no longer sufficient to do fundraisers where we cook a fancy meal… What became obvious is that we needed to change laws, we had to get to Washington,” says Zimmern. Beckmann notes the success of both domestic and international programs like SNAP and the Global Food Security Act and sees grassroots pressure as the key to getting government to act. “If we vote, if we make it clear that we want to help people in need, the members of Congress will listen to people back home,” he says.

Get inspired by these leaders who have been at the forefront of the anti-hunger movement for decades.

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Why do so many restaurant workers struggle with mental health issues and what can be done to help? Food and culture writer Kat Kinsman of Time’s Extra Crispy and NYC restaurateur Will Guidara (Eleven Madison Park, NoMad, Made Nice) talk to host Billy Shore about hospitality and mental health challenges in the food world. Kinsman launched the website Chefs with Issues in 2016 to help bring attention to this problem. “I always tell people, ‘either you have your line cook cry in front of you, or you cry at their funeral’,” she says. Guidara agrees. “Our industry struggles with embracing vulnerability… that’s what gets us,” he says.

Kinsman’s book, Hi, Anxiety! Life with a bad case of nerves, tries to show the reality of what anxiety looks like. “It’s real, it’s pervasive, and has affected every area of my life,” she shares. Guidara talks about the conditions in restaurants that can bring out stress, anxiety and more serious mental health conditions. “Any time you combine… relentless intensity - not only in expectations but in the number of hours you’re working - with an environment where it’s not cool to look weak leads to this situation,” he says. “Our profession needs people doing the things you’re doing now more than ever before,” he tells Kinsman gratefully.

Listen to this critically important conversation that explores mental health and what is being done to help the people who nourish us.

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How does imagination inspire us to make a difference? Partners In Health Co–Founder Ophelia Dahl and Boston Globe Food Writer and Restaurant Critic Devra First join Billy Shore to discuss community and culture, tackling complex problems, and the role of imagination in success. Partners In Health focuses on long-term, systems-level healthcare solutions for some of the world’s most impoverished communities. “We... show that if you not only build a clinic, but you also provide jobs and train people, you’re going to lift the economy of the entire community,” explains Dahl. First is known for infusing her food writing with social commentary. “I think that a restaurant critic’s role ultimately is that of consumer advocate. You can illustrate human issues through food very clearly,” she says.

Billy Shore asks both guests for career advice for young people beginning their careers. “Reach out to people, talk to people… get your voice out there,” First advises aspiring writers. The seeds for Partners In Health were sown when Dahl volunteered at a clinic in Haiti at the age of 18. “How important it is that you make sure that you’re in a place where your imagination can get to work…I did not have a plan. You really only know your story in hindsight,” she believes.

Join us for this perceptive and inspiring conversation about food, culture and how to serve those most in need.

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Devra First is the Boston Globe’s food writer and restaurant critic. She writes features about the world of food, restaurant reviews, and critical pieces exploring the cultural and societal meaning of food and restaurants. First has worked at the Globe as a writer and editor since 2000. She was previously the Globe’s food editor. She has also served as assistant arts editor in the Globe’s Living/Arts department and worked at the Boston Phoenix. First is originally from New York.

· The Boston Globe is New England’s largest news gathering organization. Since its creation in 1852, it has won 26 Pulitzer Prizes. Historically The Globe has been considered “one of the nation’s most prestigious papers.”

· Ophelia Dahl is a co-founder of Partners In Health. She has been advocating for the health and rights of poor people for nearly 30 years. In 1983, she volunteered at the small Eye Care Haiti clinic in Haiti’s impoverished Central Plateau. There she met Paul Farmer, and they have been working together ever since to deliver high-quality health care to the destitute sick. Dahl has served as chair of the board since 2000 and served as executive director from 2001 to 2015. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the recipient of the Union Medal by Union Theological Seminary. Dahl is chairman of Dahl & Dahl LLP, which manages the literary estate of her late father, the writer Roald Dahl. She also serves as vice president on the board of Roald Dahl’s Museum and Story Centre.

· Partners In Health provides preferential health care options for the poor. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations based in settings of poverty, Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair. They draw on the resources of the world’s leading medical and academic institutions and on the lived experience of the world’s poorest and sickest communities. Its mission is both medical and moral. It is based on solidarity, rather than charity alone.

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What is causing the failure of leadership in our government and society? Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and famed restaurateur Danny Meyer (Union Square Hospitality Group, Shake Shack) join host Billy Shore to discuss a variety of issues ranging from immigration, urban renewal, educational opportunity and the reasons for the current crisis in our political culture. “All of us in life constantly face divided loyalties. Where are your obligations? The problem with many political leaders is they lose sight of the proper hierarchy of obligations and loyalties,” says Mitchell. “[It’s the] confluence among self-interest, the interests of our guests and the interests of the city. Investing in people and places and organizations that can lift the whole,” explains Meyer about his own hierarchy of obligations when he applies his signature approach of opening new restaurants in transitional neighborhoods.

When the conversation turns to immigration, Mitchell discusses the history and the opportunities it presents for the United States. “You have to think about how much our country has benefited from immigration; how immigrants have brought new life, new energy, new views. Genius knows no language, no race, no religion… but it tends to flourish where there is freedom and opportunity,” he says. Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group understands that immigrants are the backbone of the restaurant industry and its commitment to help them succeed. “I think what our industry needs to work on quite a bit is how do we elevate [immigrant workers beyond entry level], how do we give you the tools,” says Meyer, noting that they offer English as a Second Language programs to their employees to help them increase their economic potential.

Listen to three of the most accomplished leaders in their respective fields deliver a master class on the critical issues facing our nation.

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How does authenticity drive success? Philz Coffee CEO Jacob Jaber and Neighborhood Restaurant Group Beverage Director Greg Engert join Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss good coffee, craft beer and how to build businesses that are part of the fabric of their communities. Both guests cite authenticity - in the people they hire, the products they serve, and the experiences they provide for guests - as the basis for the success of their organizations. “The best service is when it’s done from the heart and authentic,” Jaber believes. Engert thinks that just having craft beer on the menu is not enough. “The hard part is echoing the passion of the producer through service and product knowledge,” he says. “The flavors become more vibrant when you wed the intellectual to the more visceral pleasures of drink.”

Both guests built their businesses with community in mind. Jaber’s father started Philz out of his grocery store in San Francisco and now they have 48 stores and growing. “If you want to do it right, you have to not worry about scalability and just focus on excellence,” says Jaber. Engert agrees. “[They] are places for people who live near each other to get together, share food and drink and get to know each other and learn from each other,” says Engert of Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s 19 establishments.

Tune in to this conversation and hear the passion that these two guests bring to their crafts, their customers and their communities.

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How much do you think about how you contribute to society? Is it important for you to help others and give back? Two social sector advocates whose deep values and empathy guide their own career paths discuss the importance of doing good. Dan Cardinali, CEO of Independent Sector, and Bren Herrera, Cuban private chef and lifestylist, chat about food, culture, personal transformations, and their deep passion for helping others with Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength, on this episode of Add Passion and Stir.

Cardinali, a champion for the social sector (nonprofit and philanthropic institutions), reveals its vastness: 1.5 million institutions that employ 1 in 10 Americans and serve or engage 1 in 4. However, that impact is often overlooked and there is a misperception that the sector is weaker and less effective than the private sector. “Nonprofit and philanthropic institutions are critically important to America because they often are working on those issues that neither government nor market strategies are able to address,” says Cardinali. “In many regards, they are much more effective than either government or business can be, yet they are often looked at as being subpar to those two institutions.”

This perceived second-class standing of social sector organizations also affects the individuals who choose to work there who are, according to Cardinali, “extraordinarily heroic folks willing to suppress their own desires for wealth and praise in service of bettering the community.” Based on her own transformational path from law to life coaching, Herrera agrees. “Our purpose in life is not to make money… it’s to do the best that we can to make our global community a better place,” she believes. However, she also poses the question of how to attract bright young people into the sector. Shore feels it is critical for young people to know the social sector is a viable option. Speaking about Share Our Strength, he says, “Having the best people in the country feel like, ‘this is a place I want to be,’ becomes very important to our ability to succeed.” Cardinali reinforces this point. “Many social sector institutions take on the most difficult and intractable problems in the world – and you want the… best talent addressing the most difficult challenges.”

All three participants agree that food can play an important role in improving our society. Herrera shares stories of how food can heal and connect people from her chef experience and world travels. Cardinali describes how Independent Sector is using dinners to bring people with disparate views together to bridge differences and find common ground. Shore comments that food sits in the intersection of so many social issues.

How do you improve your community? How have you seen food bring people together? Share with us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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How do we unite different cultures in the midst of a polarizing political climate? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, George Washington University professor of leadership Louis Caldera and Rose Previte, owner of Compass Rose and Maydān in Washington DC, talk about culture, leadership and the potential for diversity to drive positive change in the US. Both guests believe diversity is our greatest strength. “As long as we’re true to our principles of equality, and people can develop their talents through education and contribute something, then that’s what we need to do,” says Caldera, the son of Mexican immigrants who became Secretary of the Army. He emphasizes how our country benefits when the brightest people in the world want to come here to be educated. “The growing diversity of this country will become more politically active and they’re going to say, ‘I don’t fear people who come from places like where I come from because I’m a contributing American,’” he predicts. Previte’s restaurants are a celebration of diversity inspired by her upbringing with a Lebanese mother and Sicilian father and her own extensive travels. “The street food [at Compass Rose] is the great equalizer, it’s where everyone whether rich or poor…come together over food,” she says.

Both guests come from families where food and hospitality were focal points. Previte remembers how her diverse family educated others about they were through food. Caldera, who grew up poor in Southern California at a time when the Latino community was still small, believes shared meals are important for building strong families and communities. However, shared meals can be difficult with the work schedules in low-income families, so he advocates for supports like minimum wage, family assistance and opportunities for education.

Listen to this conversation between two leaders who understand diversity as a strength that builds positive social change.

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Do you know the #1 cause of death in America? It is not what you think - our diet has surpassed smoking as a cause of death. Michel Nischan, chef and Founder, President and CEO of Wholesome Wave, and Lindsey Seegers, Program Manager of Nutrition Education at Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, MD know that food-related disease is both deadly and preventable. They join Share Our Strength founders Debbie and Billy Shore to explain some promising ways they are addressing the root causes of diet-related diseases. “We spend about $1.4 trillion a year on diet-related disease,” says Nischan. Yet the economic disparities of a disease like Type 2 Diabetes are stark. “I learned that the majority of the people that struggle with that condition lived at income levels so low they couldn’t even afford the basic ingredients to help them prevent the disease in the first place.” Seegers works with thousands of families in Montgomery County on nutritious eating. “Healthy eating is not just for the rich,” she stresses. “What parents want so much is to feed their children well – they want the best for their kids. The challenge is to be able to afford adequate and enough wholesome staple foods.”

Both guests believe that systemic changes are needed to impact health outcomes, and they are making real progress. Seegers’ work at Manna Food Center focuses on nutrition education – not just food distribution – to help families learn how to identify and afford healthy foods on a budget. They are also launching a retrofitted school bus that serves as a mobile kitchen and pop-up pantry. Wholesome Wave began a 2-for-1 program for buying fruits and vegetables with SNAP food stamps with private funding which grew into a federally-funded program in the Farm Bill called the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program with $100M over 5 years. Nischan did not predict the success of the model. “However complicated the root causes are, something as simplistic as providing affordability thru incentives can be so powerful – it’s mindboggling.” FINI has also had larger economic impacts because farmers whose produce is purchased through the program are responding to this increased demand by making infrastructural improvements and expanding their enterprises.

These food justice leaders also discuss the recent threats to the SNAP food stamp program and the effect that cuts would have on families and the economy. “Food is where people are going to cut when things get really tight,” reports Seegers, which means that preventing diet-related disease will be even more difficult. “It’s just wrongheaded,” says Nischan. He cites the return on investment of giving people access to healthy food vs. paying for expensive health care treatments like dialysis. “$100 thousand dollars saves $4 million dollars.”

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On September 27, 2018, more than 100 riders, many of them nationally recognized chefs, will gather in Charlottesville, Virginia to ride 300 miles in three days with the goal of raising $1.8 Million to end childhood hunger in America. We thought this would be a good time to re"cycle"our 2017 interview with international pop superstar P!nk, who participated in our 2017 Chef Cycle ride in Santa Rosa, California.

More than 200 chefs from across the country were joined by Grammy Award-winning international rock star P!nk in a fundraising bike ride that raised $2 million for the No Kid Hungry campaign from Share Our Strength. In an exclusive interview for Add Passion and Stir, the podcast from Share Our Strength hosted by brother and sister co-founders Billy and Debbie Shore, singer-songwriter P!nk, says, “What’s awesome about Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry is that [they] really make it doable to help… [They] make it really fun. [They] make where people’s dollars go make sense. It’s really easy to understand, and it’s universal – it’s kids!”

This special edition of Add Passion and Stir was taped at Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride in Santa Rosa, CA. Alecia Moore Hart – better known as P!nk – sat down with fellow riders husband Carey Hart, chef Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill), chef Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Café, St. Louis) and Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss the importance of getting involved on issues that matter. Despite a grueling few days in the saddle, all the riders were inspired by the event and their collective power to make a difference for hungry kids. They are grateful for organizations that help them do this. “Everybody wants to help,” says P!nk, “but the problem is sometimes that nobody knows what to do.”

James Beard award winners Milliken and Nashan have been involved with No Kid Hungry for many years, and the mission and camaraderie keeps them engaged. “When I was poor and just starting out and I had no way of really helping, I was introduced to Share Our Strength,” says Milliken. “I realized: I can do what I do! I can cook! It was so powerful. I thought, this is what I want to dedicate my time to.” Carey Hart, a retired motocross racer, now shares his time and talent with Good Ride Rally, a motorcycle rally that benefits veterans.

Each guest also speaks about their memories of taking civic action with their parents when they were young and how this instilled important values of giving back and taking care of those less fortunate.

They stress the importance of involving kids in helping other kids. “Every parent wants their kid to be a global citizen. Every parent wants their kid to be aware of what’s going on in the world. Every kid wants to help another kid – it’s innate, it’s who they are,” says P!nk.

Share Our Strength founder Debbie Shore shares the next big idea for Chefs Cycle: a cross-country relay bike ride involving thousands of chefs and raising tens of millions of dollars for fighting child hunger. Add Passion and Stir host and Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore – who also rode all 300 miles through the hills of Santa Rosa – gives insight into how he advises his staff. “Our biggest challenge is failure of imagination. Incremental steps are not enough – to really solve the problems we need to solve, we need to think big and take big risks.”

What do YOU think? How can we think big about solving child hunger in America? Can we rally thousands of chefs to bike across the country and ride on Washington, DC? How can we better engage kids in helping other kids who are struggling with hunger? We would love to hear your thoughts. Listen to the episode, provide comments in iTunes, comment on our Facebook page, tweet at us on Twitter, or go to our website(nokidhungry.org). We can’t wait to be inspired by you!

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Why are some social change movements successful while others are not? On this week’s episode, author and Georgetown University’s Global Social Enterprise Initiative Executive Director Leslie Crutchfield and WinniE’s Bakery chef/owner Elise Smith talk about effective leadership and “how to do well by doing good” with hosts Debbie and Billy Shore. In her latest book, “How Change Happens: Why Some Movements Succeed While Others Don’t,” Crutchfield defines common denominators driving recent successful social movements. “Successful movements turn grassroots gold. They invest in and nurture local leaders… It’s the combination of grassroots and organizations that put all the pieces together so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” she explains. She cites Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign as one of those successes. Smith describes her passion for being involved as a grassroots volunteer for No Kid Hungry. “Childhood hunger is something that should not be happening in our country. Whenever I get overwhelmed thinking about how big a problem it is, it [gives me] a sense of ease to know there is something I can do,” she says.

Crutchfield has been writing about the social entrepreneurship movement from its beginnings. “[Social enterprise is] grounded in a value that business is in service to society. It’s not just for profit, it’s for people and the planet, too. We sit at the intersection of ‘how do you make a profit and create social and environmental impact,’” she says. In addition to baking delicious treats for fundraising events, Smith recently went to Capitol Hill with (previous Add Passion and Stir guest) chef Jason Alley to lobby legislators to support SNAP and summer meals programs. “That passion for food and people is where we connected,” she says.

Listen to these two dynamic guests connect the larger social movements driving real change with the more personal motivations that drive grassroots activism.

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How do we foster big, creative ideas to solve our most urgent problems? President, CEO and co-founder of First Book Kyle Zimmer and award-winning DC restaurateur Ashok Bajaj join Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss their philosophies on giving back and outlooks on our social and political culture. Zimmer worries that today’s partisan divide is fostering an environment where social problems are outpacing solutions. “In the non-profit world, we all have that white-knuckle death grip on our steering wheels and we’re not given the bandwidth to really think of creative, great big solutions,” she says. As a person dedicated to hospitality in today’s hyper-partisan Washington DC, Bajaj wants his restaurants to be seen as non-partisan sanctuaries and is dismayed by recent news of restaurants refusing service based on politics. “Sharing food, sitting in a social setting, brings us together. How do you know [a person coming into a restaurant] is not trying to change her mind and something good comes out of those two-hour conversations?,” says Bajaj.

Bajaj sees the increased need from underserved communities in the sheer number of requests for help that he receives every day. “There’s no set formula, we do as much as we can,” he says. Zimmer - who has been supporting underserved communities through First Book for more than 25 years by getting 175M books to kids in 30 countries - sees the ripple effect these programs create. “The kids get self-confidence. They get employable skills. It’s good for our democracy. When a community solves these fundamental issues, the community is more stable,” she notes.

Listen to these guests discuss overcoming partisanship and why their passion for giving back is part of their secret to success.Overcoming Partisanship in Washington, DC

How do we foster big, creative ideas to solve our most urgent problems? President, CEO and co-founder of First Book Kyle Zimmer and award-winning DC restaurateur Ashok Bajaj join Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss their philosophies on giving back and outlooks on our social and political culture. Zimmer worries that today’s partisan divide is fostering an environment where social problems are outpacing solutions. “In the non-profit world, we all have that white-knuckle death grip on our steering wheels and we’re not given the bandwidth to really think of creative, great big solutions,” she says. As a person dedicated to hospitality in today’s hyper-partisan Washington DC, Bajaj wants his restaurants to be seen as non-partisan sanctuaries and is dismayed by recent news of restaurants refusing service based on politics. “Sharing food, sitting in a social setting, brings us together. How do you know [a person coming into a restaurant] is not trying to change her mind and something good comes out of those two-hour conversations?,” says Bajaj.

Bajaj sees the increased need from underserved communities in the sheer number of requests for help that he receives every day. “There’s no set formula, we do as much as we can,” he says. Zimmer - who has been supporting underserved communities through First Book for more than 25 years by getting 175M books to kids in 30 countries - sees the ripple effect these programs create. “The kids get self-confidence. They get employable skills. It’s good for our democracy. When a community solves these fundamental issues, the community is more stable,” she notes.

Listen to these guests discuss overcoming partisanship and why their passion for giving back is part of their secret to success.

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Is being fortunate an obligation to help others? Host Billy Shore travels to Portland, Maine to chat with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo and pastry chef and restaurant owner Ilma Lopez (Piccolo, Chaval) about the good fortune that has propelled their careers and how they use their talents to create social impact. “Successful people don’t like to talk about how important luck is… Luck does have a large part to do with success,” says Russo. Lopez agrees that being in the right place at the right time helped her career advance, and her habit is to give back when something fortunate happens to her. “The more blessings we have in our lives, the more we have to give. Every time something good happens to us we have to give something out,” she believes.

The guests discuss whether social responsibility is more important than ever given our current political climate. Russo and Lopez agree it comes down to using our strengths. “Storytelling is about empathy… and that is an act of moral imagination. I use my time to make myself heard on moral issues,” says Russo. “We talk at the restaurant ‘Is it really meaningful what we’re doing or should we really be doing something else? What if we close the restaurant and go down to the border and try and feed these kids?,’” asks Lopez. However, she concludes that helping neighbors and local charities can ultimately be just as valuable.

Share in this thoughtful conversation among people who see social responsibility as a basic human instinct as well as a moral obligation.

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How can business and entrepreneurial principles be used to solve social problems? In this episode, Pace University Lubin School of Business Dean Neil Braun sits down with SALIDO founder and CEO Shu Chowdhury to talk about business, technology and social entrepreneurship. “[There is] emotional satisfaction in helping people at the most interesting stage of life,” says Braun, a long-time Share Our Strength board member. Serial entrepreneur Chowdhury wants community building to be part of the DNA of his company. One of SALIDO’s values is community service. “If someone can’t care about someone they don’t know because it’s the right thing to do, it often happens that they can’t connect with what you’re actually trying to do,” he explains.

After a distinguished career as an entertainment executive that included stints as Chairman and CEO of Viacom Entertainment and President of the NBC Television Network, Braun uses his vast experience in business to help a diverse student body including many from underserved communities. “They’ve overcome more adversity just to get to college than I have in my entire life and I am so inspired by them. They have found the inner strength to deserve a chance,” he says. No Kid Hungry supporter Chowdhury credits his parents for instilling a philanthropic and entrepreneurial spirit in him. They emigrated from Calcutta, built successful businesses and started a family foundation. His latest venture is improving restaurant technology systems to be more functional for restaurant workers at all levels. “When you make someone’s life easier and you help them do a better job… that can have a pretty awesome net impact on not just society but the individual,” he says.

Listen to this important conversation that mixes insights from the business world with the desire to create social impact.

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How does having a voice create responsibilities and opportunities to drive change? Lee Schrager, creator

of the wildly successful South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals, sits down with Chef

Kevin Tien (Himitsu in Washington, DC) and hosts Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss the ever-greater

influence chefs are having on culture and social change. “Thirty-five years ago, chefs were not

superstars, they weren’t rock stars. Now people are listening to them,” says Schrager. Recently named

one of the 10 Best New Chefs for 2018 by Food & Wine Magazine, Tien is very aware of his own rising

influence. “Right now I’m at a point in my career where I’m starting to have a voice. With that comes the

responsibility of doing what’s right, giving back and giving support where it’s needed,” he explains. The

guests discuss the importance of celebrities having influence on a variety of societal issues from hunger

to mental health. The group discusses the recent suicide of Anthony Bourdain, who many of them knew.

They express disbelief that someone who seemed happy and was such a meaningful contributor to so

many people’s lives through his adventurous food and culture show struggled with depression. “Mental

illness masks itself in many different ways,” muses Schrager.

Both guests feel fortunate to have made careers of their passions. Tien worked in kitchens growing up but

entered the corporate world after college. “I wasn’t happy, so I decided to quit my job and go back into

cooking. It feels good to feed others, it feels good to give back, and I want to find a way to do it on a

larger scale,” he reveals. Schrager attended the Culinary Institute of America but realized he did not want

to be a professional chef. “I learned years ago you gotta do what you love and love what you do. And I

love what I do,” he says. The New York City Wine & Food Festival is considered the largest food and wine

festival in NYC, featuring 500 world-renowned chefs, culinary personalities, entertainers and wine and

spirit producers. One hundred percent of the net proceeds benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign and Food

Bank For New York City.

Listen to this important conversation about staying true to your passions and using your voice to help

others.

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Where do the most effective social change agents focus their efforts? Soupergirl founder Sara Polon and Community Wealth Partners CEO Amy Celep join hosts Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss their motivations and strategies for changing the world. Celep works at the systems level helping other organizations accelerate the pace of social change. She cites KaBOOM!, the national nonprofit dedicated to children’s play, as an example. “We helped [them] say, ‘what we need to do is not just build playgrounds and the infrastructure for play, we need to shift the cultural norm in this country,’” she explains. Polon started Soupergirl to shift the cultural norm through individual decisions. By using only plant-based ingredients sourced largely from sustainable local farms, she is giving consumers better choices that could help fix our broken food system. “Our mantra is changing the world one bowl of soup at a time,” she says.

Both guests are story-tellers who changed careers in order to drive change. Formerly a stand-up comedian, Polon knew she wanted to shift to fixing the food system after reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. “We’re trying to be so careful about what we put in the soup. Knowing where the food comes from, who grew it, what’s the story of it… we work every day to make sure we stay true to those values,” she says. Celep was formerly a television news producer. “I wanted to tell stories, but the stories you tell on local news were not the stories I wanted to tell. I wanted to tell stories about people changing the world,” she says.

Listen to these two dynamic, purpose-driven women share their stories about why and how they are changing the world.

R

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It’s more than just fundraising! In this playful episode of Add Passion and Stir, host Billy Shore and event emcee Taniya Nayak (HGTV, Food Network) conduct “red carpet” interviews at the 2018 Taste of the Nation Boston. Guests include Celebrity Chef Tiffani Faison (Sweet Cheeks Q, Tiger Mama), Adam Amontea (Cafco), Lacey Berrien and David Miller (Boston Society), and Emily Pochman (Share Our Strength). In its 30th year, the event features 60 chefs from Boston-area restaurants and raises more than $210,000 for No Kid Hungry. “One of my favorite feelings in the world is to see people come together to enjoy a meal in a space that I got to design,” says Nayak. Faison talks about her background and commitment to social justice and LGBTQ rights. “My job is to make it easier for the next generation, so… they can just give their art, their spirit and their love to the world without having to consider their safety,” she says. Amontea, who is one of the event sponsors, describes his company’s ties to the culinary world and long-standing commitment to No Kid Hungry. Berrien and Miller share their thoughts on the work they are doing to get the next generation of philanthropists involved.

Billy and Taniya also get a surprise visit from Erik and Farrah - a first-grade teacher in the Boston public school system – newlyweds who purchased 125 tickets to the event for their wedding guests because they feel so strongly about the cause of child hunger. “I look at my students and there’s such an impact…when they’re fed, they’re able to learn,” says the bride in her wedding dress.

You won’t want to miss this lighthearted but inspiring episode that makes you feel like you are in the crowd at Taste of the Nation Boston.

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Taniya Nayak is one of the nation’s foremost interior designers. She became a household name as a design expert member on HGTV and Food Network. Nayak owns a successful, Boston-based interior design firm, Taniya Nayak Design LLC., where she adds a fresh, clean look to both commercial and residential spaces. Nayak has served as host and designer for a variety of HGTV mainstays like Designed to Sell, Billion Dollar Block, House Hunters on Vacation, and on Robert Irvine’s Food Network series, Restaurant: Impossible. She is also a judge on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight. Nayak’s helpful decorating tips have been featured in Architectural Digest India, HGTV Magazine, Design New England, People, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, The Boston Globe, Family Circle, The Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, and many more. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC’s Good Morning America & The View, NBC’s Today, CBS’ The Early Show & The Talk, and Rachael Ray.

· Tiffani Faison is Chef and owner of Sweet Cheeks Q and Tiger Mama in Boston. She began her career working under such renowned chefs as Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse, Todd English and Tony Maws. In 2006, early into her career, she was cast on the very first season of Bravo’s Top Chef and placed as runner-up. From there, she worked in prestigious kitchens in Nantucket, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco before returning to Boston in 2010 to become Executive Chef of Southern Italian restaurant, Rocca Kitchen & Bar. Faison opened Sweet Cheeks Q in 2011, drawing inspiration from her love of Southern barbecue and extensive travels in Texas. Sweet Cheeks became an instant hit for its laid-back Southern charm and addictive offerings. In December 2015, Faison expanded on her culinary skills, creativity and business savvy with a new restaurant: Tiger Mama. The Boston Globe called Tiger Mama “a spectacular restaurant” with dishes that you’ll “take to the grave” and hospitality that “feels generous and natural.” Boston magazine awarded Faison as “Best Chef: General Excellence” in its July 2016 “Best of Boston” issue. In November 2016, the Boston Business Journal named Faison to its 2016 Power 50 list, “The Game Changers,” celebrating individuals from Boston’s multiple industries and professions who are making a difference in their business communities. She is a tireless advocate of LGBTQ human rights.

· Sweet Cheeks Q opened in 2011 and almost immediately garnered a three-star review from The Boston Globe. From 2012 to 2016, it was awarded “Boston’s Best Barbecue” for five straight years by Boston magazine. Its biscuits were deemed “Best Biscuits in the World” by Forbes. All of their meats are responsibly sourced and all natural. They use local farms when possible.

· Tiger Mama is Chef Tiffani Faison’s love letter to Southeast Asia. Unapologetically spicy, sharp and funky flavors create a menu of authentic classics and intentionally inauthentic riffs on dishes and ingredients we love. Brian Callahan’s world class Tiki Program is the perfect liquid counterpoint, embracing classic Tiki Cocktails, pushing the envelope of presentation, technique and flavor exploration with unique ingredients, premium liquors and juices pressed daily.

· Cafco is a Boston-based construction management firm specializing in restaurant, hotel, residential and academic projects. Our passion is to help clients transform their ideas into reality. Our collaborative approach engages clients early in the process and carefully guides their vision from concept to execution.

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Why are personal connections the key to success? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Jennifer Eddy (Founder and Executive Director of Root in Salem, MA) and Michael Pagliarini (Chef and Owner of Giulia and Benedetto in Boston) discuss how success is so often predicated on having strong social ties within a community. A No Kid Hungry supporter, Chef Pagliarini sees his restaurants as invaluable pieces of the communities they serve. “When a restaurant can feel like it is part of a community where the community has a sense of ownership of that restaurant, that’s when it’s working,” he says. Eddy sees the same dynamic at Root, a non-profit social enterprise that serves at-risk and disconnected youth through culinary and life skills training programs. “At the end of their 5-hour shift, [participants] all sit down for a family meal together. I think is probably one of the most powerful parts of Root…They suddenly have a community and a friendship and a family,” she says.

Pagliarini also sees the strong community that happens in a restaurant kitchen. “The sense of comradery in a kitchen is one of the most galvanizing forces that keeps people coming back,” he explains. In addition to learning “wrap-around” skills such as interviewing, financial literacy and teamwork, students at Root take on an externship in a busy kitchen at a local restaurant where they often become a valuable member of that restaurant community. “50-60% of young people that go through externships end up getting job offers from the [restaurant] where they worked,” Eddy notes.

Listen to how two social entrepreneurs explain the importance of strong community.

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Can a simple cookstove end world hunger and poverty? Celebrity chef José Andrés was named one of the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2018 for his dedication to humanitarian causes and recently delivered more than 3 million meals in Puerto Rico in the wake of the devastating 2017 hurricanes, but he has been helping people around the world for many years. He joins host Billy Shore and United Nations Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin to discuss why a simple clean cookstove drives cultural, environmental and economic change in the developing world. “If we want to end poverty in this century, I believe clean cookstoves is the one single issue [where] everything meets,” says Andrés. “It’s one of the number one killers of women and children in the world,” agrees Calvin, explaining the UN Foundation’s Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves initiative. The statistics are jarring: Four million women and children around the world die every year as a result of inhaling the smoke and soot from wood, coal and kerosene cookstoves.

These two changemakers believe Americans should care more about global poverty issues. Andrés, who poured his heart and soul into helping the people of Haiti and Puerto Rico, references the current national conversation about building walls to keep people out. “The only wall conversation we should be having is walls that we’re going to build to create community kitchens and schools,” he explains. “If we don’t pay attention to what’s happening around the world, we will find it hitting us and in ways we don’t like,” notes Calvin.

Listen in as these two passionate anti-hunger and poverty crusaders explain a simple solution to one of the most intractable problems in the world.

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Is sustainable farming the key to restoring our planet? On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, American Farmland Trust President and CEO John Piotti and Chef John Mooney (Bell Book & Candle, NYC; Bidwell, DC) talk with host Billy Shore and producer Paul Woodhull about the far-reaching impact of building a more sustainable food system. “If we don’t get farming right, we can’t have a sustainable future,” says Piotti. Chef Mooney’s restaurants use aeroponic rooftop gardens, which combine hydroponics with vertical growing techniques to grow fresh, pesticide-free produce. “It really suits us well to be able to do what I want to do as a chef and have it on location. [Staff] also get to learn and maintain, which gives them a little better sense of where our food comes from, which translates into the guest experience,” he notes.

Preserving farmland is one of the most important functions of American Farmland Trust. “Farmland itself plays a huge role in environmental protection,” explains Piotti. “But you can’t think about only the farm. You have to think about the farming practices that occur on that land and you have to think about the farmers who are stewards of that land,” he says. Well-known for his commitment to sustainability, Chef Mooney also owns Kakele House, an organic farm and event space on the North Shore of Oahu. “For me it’s a lifestyle and not a job,” he says. Piotti touts the benefits that small, diversified farms like Kakele House have on communities.

Listen in as these two guests discuss the meaning of sustainability and its impact on environmental, social and economic vitality.

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What difference does it make to get close to the problem? “You really can’t solve the world’s problems from a distance. You have to get up close. You have to be proximate,” says New Profit Partner Marco Davis on this episode of Add Passion and Stir. He talks with Diane Gross, owner of Cork Wine Bar in Washington DC, and host Billy Shore about focusing on diversity, inclusion and equity. Davis describes how New Profit uses venture philanthropy to help nonprofit organizations scale up to maximize impact by focusing on organizational success instead of programmatic goals. They also use an explicit focus on diversity in leadership. “[Leaders from diverse backgrounds] have greater proximity to the issues that they’re working on, and therefore have some insight and added value that they bring to the table,” he explains. Gross likens it to the restaurant industry. “There’s a lot of diversity in the work force, but not in leadership roles,” she says. She believes that supports like health care and maternity leave would help women and people of color achieve leadership roles in the industry.

Gross also values proximity in her own philanthropic efforts. She and her husband decided to focus their efforts on food and education in the community where they live and work because both their staff and their customers are priorities. Outside of his work for New Profit, Davis - a veteran of the Obama White House - actively supports and engages candidates and policymakers at the state and local level because he believes that so many key decisions that affect people’s lives in a significant way happen at the state and local level. Shore calls this “a different version of the proximity point.”

Get informed and inspired by these two social justice activists who drive change by getting closer.

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What role does Chefs Cycle play in the success of No Kid Hungry? This episode of Add Passion and Stir takes place at Chefs Cycle 2018. Krista Anderson of New Seasons Market in Portland, OR, Hugh Mangum chef/co-owner of Mighty Quinn’s New York Barbeque and Ed Doyle of Real Food Consulting in Boston join host Billy Shore after riding 100 miles for the second day to talk about their experiences participating in Chefs Cycle. The question is raised as to why go to such great lengths to raise funds. “There’s strength in numbers and numbers are community, and the community is always going to be a we, and we is always stronger than I,” says Magnum. Anderson talks about one of her teammates who used a twitter campaign to get his company to donate a money to No Kid Hungry. “And there were some comments back ‘just write the check’. Then you don’t have that spread the word,” she observed. Billy Shore notes that Chefs Cycle brings in more first-time donors (4000 per year) than anything Share Our Strength has done because of everyone reaching out to their networks. “It is such an easy ask. I don’t think anyone that I’ve asked has said no. You explain the cause. You explain that you’re not nuts…and they happily sign up, and then again year after year,” says Doyle.

In addition to raising $2M to support No Kid Hungry, the guests discuss the challenges of the rides and the sense of community that grows out of the event. “You have the moments when you’re feeling great and moments where you’re like how the hell am I going to finish this, but the coolest thing is to see people who are avid cyclists, people who are not avid cyclists…and everyone pulls together,” says Doyle. Talking about the recent fires that ravaged Sonoma County, Anderson notes that “having to look around…and taking it all in and seeing just a fireplace and black trees was pretty sobering.” Mangum agrees but points out that riding in “the amazing community in Santa Rosa adds another sense of purpose.” He describes riding by a school where 80 kids came running out to spur on the cyclists. “That was a moment I’ll never forget.”

Get inspired by these amazing guests who tackle the incredible physical and mental challenge of Chefs Cycle to help end childhood hunger.

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Root Cause Coalition: (rootcausecoalition.org) The Root Cause Coalition is a national, member-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the root causes of health disparities by focusing on hunger and other social determinants leading to nationwide epidemic of preventable chronic health conditions.

· Krista Anderson is responsible for innovative planning of the prepared foods department programs, seasonal menu and recipe development, as well as purchasing and sourcing of ingredients for New Seasons Markets in the Portland, Oregon area. She focuses on stellar customer service and fiscal responsibility to support in-store merchandising, store openings and remodels, staff development as well as coaching and nurturing vendor/producer relationships. Prior to that, she was the Company Chef in charge of seasonal menu and recipe development to support established programs for all prepared foods departments including holiday and special event menus. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Bates College and associates degree from the New England Culinary Institute.

· New Seasons Market brings delicious, healthy food from local farmers, producers, ranchers and fisherman to the communities of Portland, Oregon. They provide the best mix of local, organic favorites and grocery classics. They are firmly committed to supporting the regional food economy, environmental stewardship, giving back to the local community, and providing a progressive workplace for staff to thrive. Store by store, they focus on building and nourishing the communities they serve, creating lasting relationships with their customers, staff and vendors.

· Hugh Mangum is the pitmaster and co-owner of Mighty Quinn’s New York barbeque. Fond memories of palate altering meals and a deep admiration for the soul of real barbeque have led Hugh on a personal quest for slow smoked perfection. Many years and copious piles of wood later, Mighty Quinnʼs New York barbeque represents Hugh's craft and his desire to make people happy eating slow smoked goodness. An avid cyclist and long-time No Kid Hungry Supporter, Magnum is veteran of Chefs Cycle.

· Mighty Quinn’s New York Barbeque takes a simple approach: source the best quality ingredients they can and don’t fuss with them too much. They cook barbeque the old school way with plenty of wood and time, adding just the right amount of salt and spice to let that lovely marriage of process and product evolve into something transcendent. They bring together the best of all great BBQ techniques to create something uniquely its own. The process begins with the best, all-natural meats and poultry, seasoned with perfect spice blends and then smoked with wood for many, many hours until the perfect harmony of smoke, flavor and time emerges. Their food is steeped in tradition but given new life. BBQ was created in the South but Mighty Quinn's Barbeque was born in New York!

· Ed Doyle has become a household name in the Boston hospitality scene for his work as a both chef and, now, as a consultant with RealFood Consulting, Inc. While Director of Culinary Operations at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, the hotel’s restaurant Aura was named one of the Best New Restaurants in the U.S. That passion and drive are even stronger today as he helps new and existing foodservice businesses make success happen. Ed has been featured in Food and Wine, Restaurant Business, and Food Arts magazines. Away from the office, Ed works with non-profit groups to give back to the community. He gets his competitive fix from bike racing and cooking on the National BBQ Circuit as part of Team iQue, World Champions in 2009. Ed lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with his partner Mary.

· RealFood Consulting, Inc. is a full-service consulting firm that has attended to the needs of the food & beverage industry since 1996. They design, develop, and open new restaurants as well as fix rebuild, reassess, and rediscover exiting concepts.

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What’s at the heart of healthcare disparities in America? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Faith Mitchell and Washington Post Food and Dining Editor Joe Yonan talk about equity, the long-term effects of stress, and healthy cooking. “The interest in what we now call equity really started in the mid-80’s,” says Mitchell about the differences in health outcomes among ethnic and racial populations. “It’s many-pronged effort at this point. You have people in healthcare settings who are trying to equalize outcomes,” she shares. Yonan emphasizes diversity in his own work in the newsroom and recently released America The Great Cookbook, proceeds from which support No Kid Hungry. “The thing I think I’m proudest of about the book is the sheer diversity of the group of people in the book. It’s all walks of life, all colors, ages,” he says. “The same diversity I went for in the cookbook, I want to show up in the food coverage of the Washington Post.”

Well-known for his writing on the intersection of food and health and the value of cooking at home, Yonan believes, “People eat healthier food if they make it for themselves.” Mitchell, whose grandfather was a West-Indian chef and caterer, notes the importance of home cooking and family meals in her own life. “These days cooking at home feels very revolutionary,” she says. In both her personal and professional lives, Mitchell believes in the importance how you treat other people on a daily basis. “So much comes down to whether…you’re bringing love to that interaction or whether you’re bringing anger or hostility or stress,” she says. Inspired, Debbie Shore closes the conversation, “I’m going to show some love today!”

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How do social change-makers work together to make greater impact? In this episode of Add Passion & Stir, host Debbie Shore talks with KaBOOM! CEO James Siegal and DC Chef Mike Friedman (Red Hen, All-Purpose) about focusing on teamwork and community to help those in need. Siegal speaks of the marginalization of many neighborhood institutions and how successful nonprofits must bring these entities together. “You can’t do it alone… It takes everyone rowing in the same direction to make change happen,” he says. Friedman sees parallels to running successful restaurants. “I fell into cooking because I love the team mentality. Restaurants are a team sport… I was enamored with the idea of being a part of something that was bigger than me,” he recalls.

KaBOOM! leverages corporate funding to strengthen communities, building more than 3000 safe playspaces across the country for kids living in disadvantaged communities. Each playground build day brings together community partners and hundreds of local volunteers for a moving community experience. “If you want to get to a place where kids are better off, you need strong communities and strong communities are cohesive, safe, and they have a sense of pride,” says Siegal. For Friedman, giving back is part of the role of being a chef, an active member of his neighborhood, and a successful business owner. “My passions lie with children’s needs,” he says, and demonstrates this by supporting organizations like Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign and March of Dimes.

Listen to this conversation about how teamwork can build strong communities and create lasting impact.

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Who would ride their bike 300 miles in three days? Travis Flood, Jess Cerra, Stuart Brown and Tom Nelson are four out of the hundreds of chefs and members of the culinary community who do it to raise funds and awareness for No Kid Hungry. In this special episode of Add Passion and Stir, host and fellow cyclist Billy Shore talks to these four riders after the second day of the 2017 Chefs Cycle event about what motivates them to tackle both the challenge of the ride and the challenge of ending childhood hunger in the US. (The first Chefs Cycle 2018 will be May 15-17 in Santa Rosa, CA and the second will be September 25-27 in Charlottesville, VA.)

It comes down to commitment and community. Arby’s Foundation Executive Director Stuart Brown, who experienced several mechanical problems, sees a parallel between his ride and the mission to end hunger. “When you rally around a community, it happens. Even though I had all the flat tires, I made it because of the power of community,” he says. Chef Travis Flood of California’s Alexander’s Steakhouse and Pappas Artisanal not only rides in the event but has the added pressure of preparing dinner for all the riders and volunteers each night. “I have so much love and respect and care for this organization that I don’t want to fail,” he says. Personal chef and professional cyclist Jess Cerra grew up food insecure in small-town Montana. “I realized the community was really helping my mom so she could feed us…. So for me it goes beyond kids who don’t have breakfast or lunch or dinner… they realize that people believe in them,” she says. Share Our Strength President and CEO Tom Nelson values the perseverance. “It’s people coming together—chefs, corporations, elite cyclists—saying we’re not going to fail, we’re going to persevere on this ride. We’re going to persevere in ending childhood hunger in this country,” he says.

Be inspired by the dedication of four No Kid Hungry champions who persevere through a grueling physical challenge to help end childhood hunger.

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How do we unite different cultures in the midst of a polarizing political climate? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, George Washington University professor of leadership Louis Caldera and Rose Previte, owner of Compass Rose and Maydān in Washington DC, talk about culture, leadership and the potential for diversity to drive positive change in the US. Both guests believe diversity is our greatest strength. “As long as we’re true to our principles of equality, and people can develop their talents through education and contribute something, then that’s what we need to do,” says Caldera, the son of Mexican immigrants who became Secretary of the Army. He emphasizes how our country benefits when the brightest people in the world want to come here to be educated. “The growing diversity of this country will become more politically active and they’re going to say, ‘I don’t fear people who come from places like where I come from because I’m a contributing American,’” he predicts. Previte’s restaurants are a celebration of diversity inspired by her upbringing with a Lebanese mother and Sicilian father and her own extensive travels. “The street food [at Compass Rose] is the great equalizer, it’s where everyone whether rich or poor…come together over food,” she says.

Both guests come from families where food and hospitality were focal points. Previte remembers how her diverse family educated others about they were through food. Caldera, who grew up poor in Southern California at a time when the Latino community was still small, believes shared meals are important for building strong families and communities. However, shared meals can be difficult with the work schedules in low-income families, so he advocates for supports like minimum wage, family assistance and opportunities for education.

Listen to this conversation between two leaders who understand diversity as a strength that builds positive social change.

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How can we develop systems that support good eating habits and healthy communities? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two passionate women describe how their organizations support community health in New Mexico, a state where 25% of children are food insecure. Leigh Caswell, Director of the Center for Community Health at Presbyterian Healthcare Services, develops community health assessments and plans. Anzia Bennett, Director of Three Sisters Kitchen in Albuquerque, developed her business to create opportunities for the community to help build and benefit from the local food system. Both focus on healthy eating, which is a particular challenge in disadvantaged communities. “We know that [making healthy choices] as people of privilege is a challenge. But when you look at [disadvantaged] communities, you can see that they’re targeted…There’s a lot less opportunity to make healthy choices,” says Caswell. The Center’s programs - including healthy food ‘prescriptions,’ summer meals and a mobile farmers market - drive healthier eating habits and contribute to healthier economies. “The question we ask is ‘what makes you feel good when you eat certain foods...what energizes you,’” says Bennett. “That becomes a really beautiful way to tap into a more mindful relationship with the food we eat.” Three Sisters Kitchen has a local food shop, café, commercial kitchen, test kitchen, community dining room and classroom to support food entrepreneurs’ development of ideas that extend the revenue-generating season for local farmers.

Caswell believes that there has to be big investment if we want to shift our food culture. She believes that federal healthcare policy needs to provide resources that allow healthcare providers to leverage their own resources like cafeterias, purchasing power, and communication channels. “Making healthy choices around food is so complex that we have to work in so many different levels of the socio-ecologic framework,” she explains. Bennett agrees that federal policy around farms subsidies needs to change to level the playing field for small growers and farmers committed to organic, biodynamic, or sustainable practices. “When we talk about healthy food, access to healthy food, and food as medicine, we’re literally talking about what that food does in our bodies, but we’re also talking about the ways food connects us to our families and our traditions,” she says.

Learn about successful models for building communities in this in-depth conversation between two talented community health practitioners.

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How can the next generation change our culture to solve social problems? In this special episode of Add Passion and Stir made possible by generous support from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, Gerri Mason Hall, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Sodexo and Chair of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, and Derek Brown, owner of Columbia Room in Washington DC, have a lively discussion about diversity and inclusion, young leaders, culture change, and classic cocktails. Mason Hall, Brown and hosts Share Our Strength co-founders Debbie and Billy Shore believe that the fresh, uncynical passion of our youth can solve major social problems. The recent activity around gun control is a prime example. “One of the most exciting things is the fresh eyes to an approach at problem solving,” says Mason Hall, who focuses on enabling young people through Sodexo’s work and the No Kid Hungry Youth Ambassador Program. Brown is proud that he empowers his employees to protect others, working closely with Collective Action for Safe Spaces to train employees about recognizing and intervening when they see sexual harassment or violence. Billy Shore shares their hopefulness about youth changing the future. “Sometimes there’s an advantage to ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’…you don’t get discouraged, you don’t get disappointed, you think everything can change,” he says.

Both guests also value culture change. Mason Hall has spent decades building a culture of diversity and inclusion at Sodexo. “In the early 2000s, the emphasis was on representation - especially women and minorities - in the workplace… Now we’re not just focused on numbers coming in, but how inclusive is the culture,” she explains. She relishes playing the role of mentor for a younger generation and helping them turn their vision into change. “It is this diversity of thought that together will help us innovate and solve these problems,” she says. Brown is noted for creating change in how the next DC generation feels about alcohol through his emphasis on well-made culinary cocktails. “We’re really turning drinking more into a ritual…you’re not focusing on quantity, you’re focusing on quality,” he says. A historian of alcohol, he describes its place in American culture. “Our culture has a particular relationship with alcohol… and we have changed it through creating these cocktail bars that are a little different,” he believes.

Share in this informative and fun conversation between two leaders mentoring the next generation in their respective fields.

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How can our food system empower people to choose clean, nutritious food? On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Founder and President of the Daily Table Doug Rauch and grassroots organizer and chef Neftalí Durán discuss food justice. After a successful career as president of Trader Joe’s, Rauch launched Daily Table in the Boston area with the idea that food insecurity is a multi-faceted problem. “This is a system. There’s no silver bullet you can shoot and take care of the problem...It intersects with education, poverty, culture, and access,” he says. Durán, who is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, agrees. “Food is political… food touches every issue... My work starts from the baseline that food is a human right,” he says. “If we start from the premise that food is a human right, we should never be dismissing people that need food,” he believes.

Both social justice champions believe in trusting people and communities. Rauch admits that before founding Daily Table he almost went forward with a “beautiful solution to the wrong problem.” Instead, he listened at dozens of focus groups and community meetings. “I learned that they already had a better understanding of nutrition than I thought. It wasn’t like I had to convince someone that they had to eat fruits and vegetables. They … wanted to be given a chance to make the right choices,” he says. “Daily Table is designed primarily around making certain that food - which is the cheapest form of health care - becomes the basis and foundation for a family’s ability to provide a healthy outcome for life,” he says. Durán believes the solution to ending hunger lies in treating people with dignity - which has become much more difficult in the current political climate. Host Billy Shore asks how we empower people and communities. “One of the best ways to empower people is to listen to them. What do you need? How can we facilitate you eating healthier? What are the issues in the community? If we’re never listening, we’re really not empowering people,” he answers.

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How do you build true community into your business and your life? On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti and cookbook author Katie Workman (The Mom 100 and Dinner Solved!) discuss how their passion for food shaped their commitment to hospitality and community. “The bigger we get, the smaller we have to act,” says Garutti about the 164 restaurants he oversees worldwide. For Shake Shack, that means teaming up with as many local and artisanal food producers as possible and also becoming active members of their restaurants’ local communities. Workman, who has been a supporter of Share Our Strength for 25 years, believes that most people who are drawn to food as a profession are concerned with hunger. “I don’t think I would be as satisfied by what I do for a living if helping to feed hungry people wasn’t a big part of it,” she says. Garutti believes the restaurant business is a noble profession where the main responsibility is to take care of people every single day. “We start by taking care of our team first, only then can we take care of our guests and our communities, our suppliers, and ultimately the people who invest in us,” he says.

Host Billy Shore asks Garutti how he builds community spirit into the company. He responds that Shake Shack looks for people who are intellectually curious, have a good work ethic and a strong emotional intelligence. “We call those things ‘the 51% of you.’ We’ve never asked someone in an interview if they know how to make a milkshake - we’ll teach you how to do the 49% of the job that’s technical - but we can’t teach you how to be emotionally aware,” he says. Contributing to her community is also important to Workman, who serves on the Board of City Harvest in New York City. “To love what you do is probably up there with the greatest gifts that you can have. And to be able to also use that as a way to give back, make other peoples’ lives enriched in some way…you are a pretty lucky person,” she concludes.

Listen to this conversation between two long-time Share Our Strength supporters about what it means to be active members of their communities.

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How will next-generation leaders define their roles as social change makers? “We’ve got to get young people saying, ‘I want to be accountable for making change,’” says host Billy Shore during this special episode of Add Passion and Stir made possible by generous support from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. His two young guests are already making impact in their communities. Twenty-three-year-old Luz Holmes works in the mayor’s office in Hartford, CT, and learned the importance of giving back at young age despite being food insecure. “[My mother] taught me that you give when you can give. Be accountable for other people… and to make the best out of life because someone else has it way worse than us,” she relates. She served as a Share Our Strength Youth Ambassador in college as a way to address hunger in her community. Alex McCoy is chef/owner of Lucky Buns in Washington DC at the age of 31. “We should always be questioning what the status quo is, what we’re doing, and if we’re doing it the right way,” he says of his leadership style. McCoy points to important factors that are creating generational differences and opportunities for new leaders. “Our generation has more information at its disposal than there ever has been. And the world is a much smaller place than it ever has been,” he believes. He notes that the recent student reaction to the Parkland, FL school shooting is a prime example. “Previously those kids wouldn’t have had a platform to change hearts and minds,” he says.

Though only at the beginning of her career, Holmes possesses an intentional and purpose-driven attitude toward life. She frequently asks herself, “How could I better my journey? What can I do to help this one person or what can I do to impact this one situation?” Her work for the city of Hartford includes food and nutrition outreach to underserved communities. Slated to return to school in the fall to earn her master’s degree, she sees herself moving up to the state or federal level in order to have greater impact. McCoy stays motivated by going on learning journeys around the world. He relates a story about his first bite of a favorite Thai dish on his first day in Thailand. “I realized everything I know about Thai green curry is wrong…the texture, the flavor…it was a dish I thought I knew,” he recalls. This revelation would have a profound effect on his approach to food as a chef and restaurant owner. “The cooking is cooking - that’s technical. The why is the everything - It’s the emotion, it’s the heart, the soul, it’s the tradition. You need to know that so that you can fully understand the flavors the right way,” he says

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What role does authenticity play in inspiring social responsibility? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Kathy Behrens, President of Social Responsibility and Player Programs for the NBA, and Hillary Sterling, Chef at Vic’s in New York City, discuss building community, inspiring others and earning leadership positions in male-dominated fields. Host Billy Shore asks these “two formidable women” about their experiences. “It’s predominately male in kitchens, which is funny when you think about it, because who really cooks in the world?,” says Sterling. She remembers feeling very alone in her early days in restaurants, but notes that being the only woman gave her a goal and the determination to fight a lot harder to succeed. “It taught me to become a better manager, to get to know people better and figure out what made them tick and get people to respect me,” she believes. Behrens places great emphasis on inspiring the younger generation to grow and making sure women are given an opportunity to succeed. “How you inspire them is by being authentic, genuine and true to yourself, and make sure that they see that that’s what it takes to succeed,” she concludes.

Behrens see an interesting correlation between sports teams and restaurants. “They’re almost like community treasures. There’s a sense of community for people when they’re at our games and when you’re at a great restaurant,” she says. She developed the NBA Cares program as a platform for players to use their celebrity to support causes that have personal meaning to them in their communities. “Players are at their best when they can genuinely and authentically involve themselves in something that really matters to them,” she believes. Sterling focuses on inspiring a sense of community among her restaurant staff. When recruiting new employees, she discusses her commitment to causes such as the No Kid Hungry campaign and support for small local farmers. “That might get them in the door, but to keep them excited and interested is about how to inspire them,” she says. The authenticity in her ingredients, cooking and relationships underpins the sense of community at her restaurant. “I want to remember [my guests]. I want to remember what you ate the last time. I want to know that you don’t like parsley… I know my farmers’ names, I know my guests’ names, and I want to make sure that you feel you’re walking into an extension of your living room,” she says.

Listen to these two amazing women get to the heart of inspiration, community and social change.

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What do leadership of health services in Haiti and leadership of a restaurant in a hip Boston neighborhood have in common? Conor Shapiro, President and CEO of St. Boniface Haiti Foundation, talks with Jefferson Macklin, business manager and partner of Boston’s Bar Mezzana, about empathy, leadership and how their organizations help spur economic activity and community revitalization. Both men cite empathy they learned from world travel as the basis for their leadership style. Shapiro’s interactions with Haitian patients informs the philanthropic approach of the Foundation. “Walking out to a patient’s home and seeing how their journey to our hospital affects the kind of care they receive…For me the constant reminder to listen to the patients and understand where they’re coming from has been incredibly formative,” he says. Macklin had a similar experience during his time serving in the military in the Middle East and Asia. “Anytime you see people in dire straits that you have never experienced, it tends to wake you up a little bit. That’s the reason why people should travel more and see the world - once you realize how good we have it, you start to realize how fortunate we are and that you need to give back,” he asserts.

Shapiro discusses philanthropy’s role in the overwhelming problems facing Haiti, where 90% of the population is underserved and the country is in a perpetual poverty trap. “If people knew just how difficult the situation was… and they knew that there was something they could do about that, and they also knew that basically all people are people…,” he believes that Americans would give generously. Macklin, who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Desert Storm, sees parallels between leading troops to leading restaurants. His restaurant in the Ink Block section of Boston’s South End is a social and economic hub for the neighborhood. “As restaurant owners, between your employees, suppliers, investors, guests, you touch a lot of people and have an impact on a lot of people,” he notes. He includes strategies in his business model that support immigrants and local charitable causes and help his workers earn a living wage, live locally, and grow with the business. “To me the base root of hospitality and philanthropy is empathy. I’m someone that really believes in empathy and I think the world could use a lot more of it,” says Macklin.

Let this conversation inspire you to travel more, find deeper empathy and serve communities in need.

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What ingredients go in to building a successful model for helping people in need? Jim Gibbons, CEO and President of Goodwill Industries International, Inc., discusses making lasting impacts in underserved communities with Food Network celebrity Melissa d’Arabian on this Add Passion and Stir. Goodwill Industries helps people reach their full potential through education, skills training, and leveraging business to have a sustained impact. “The power of goodwill isn’t the stores, it’s the stories of the people…It’s about dignity and the power of work,” explains Gibbons. For d’Arabian, poverty is personal. “I know what it is to be in a classroom hungry, and I know what it is to be in a classroom not hungry. I choose not hungry.” Her background echoes the Goodwill model. As a nine-year-old, she was getting free school lunches on an IOU system knowing she would never be able to repay her debt, when one day a secretary proposed that she help serve the school lunches in order to get hers for free. “That little gesture… really changed the trajectory of my entire life. I felt a sense of efficacy and belonging and pride. I went in there and put that hair net on every day with a sense of joy in my heart,” she says. Gibbons notes that her story speaks to hope. “When there’s a certainty that you’ll be nourished, you can then build on that hope… Absent that, all of the other stuff is really tough to overcome.”

As the first blind graduate of Harvard Business School, Gibbons has tackled his own challenges. “I hope that through my work and who I am that it offers a level of hope that no matter what your disability or barrier to opportunity is, you can overcome that. It takes a little bit of tenacity and… stick-to-itiveness.” Goodwill is a networked association of autonomous organizations and the model relies on each one having the authority and flexibility to meet the needs of their own communities. “What are the needs? What are other organizations in the community doing? How do you close the gap? What are the opportunities? … We’ve got to meet the individuals where they are so that the Goodwill programming can be made meaningful to them in terms of their life goals,” he says. Drawing from her own experience, d’Arabian notes, “That’s something we forget…people want to work, they want to belong.”

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Can we match excess food with need to better help people escape poverty? American University college student Maria Rose Belding, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Matching Excess And Needs for Stability (MEANS), discusses food waste and hunger with celebrity chef David Guas on a special episode of Add Passion and Stir made possible by generous support from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. At age 12, Belding imagined a better system for getting excess food to emergency food providers and the people that need it. She founded her nonprofit a few years later. “Food is really the key that unlocks the door to all of these other social services that help people actually leave poverty, but until we deal with the food, we can’t deal with anything else,” she says. Long-time Share Our Strength supporter Guas has always understood the importance of donating leftover food from his restaurants to local organizations. “At Bayou Bakery, since the beginning we work closely with A-SPAN [a homeless services organization and shelter in Arlington, VA]…it’s been a great partnership,” he says. Belding wishes every chef and food organization thought about food waste the same way. “That’s money the shelter doesn’t have to spend on food… and that means they can funnel it into AA or mental health programs,” she notes. A volunteer in food pantries since age six, she recognized very young the instability of food resources at these establishments. Pantries are often in simultaneous feast or famine mode – with way too much of one item they cannot use and not enough of another item they really need. Today, MEANS addresses that problem by connecting thousands of food banks, shelters, soup kitchens and other providers with food donations in real time, and has recovered more than 1.65M pounds of food over the last five years.

Both guests understand that recovering food waste is only one piece of alleviating hunger and poverty. Host Billy Shore asks Belding how much of the hunger problem in the United States could be addressed by food waste? “Mathematically speaking, if you just look at this like a calculus problem, food waste can solve all of it. Hunger is not a calculus problem. Hunger is much more complicated than that,” says Belding. She explains the important role programs such as SNAP and WIC play in solving hunger. Guas recently took to Capitol Hill with two other celebrity chefs to champion these federal food programs. “We just banged down doors, chewed people’s ears and stressed the importance of protecting this [SNAP] program,” he relates.

Be inspired by this impactful conversation among these social activists with real-time solutions to hunger in America.

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In an episode that host Billy Shore calls “one of the most important conversations we’ve had,” U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling and Air Force Master Sergeant Jennifer Medeiros discuss how poor nutrition, lack of fitness, and food insecurity in society at large are impacting our troops and our national security. “77% of America is not fit enough to join the military,” says Lt. General Hertling. “This is a constant fight for the future of our country,” he warns. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was given command of basic training for the entire U.S. Army “When [new recruits] were leaving basic training, many of them were going to war-fighting units and deploying right into combat, so they had to be ready to fight.” he says. However, 40-50% of these recruits couldn’t pass a simple fitness test, their injury rate was continually trending up due to poor nutrition, and 60% needed major dental work in order to be deployable. Master Sergeant Medeiros, who spent a year as a military dental tech, agrees. “I would get the new kids, and some of the worst ones were … non deployable, like root canals and all kinds of things based off their lack of education and [bad] habits,” she says. “When we get new soldiers and airmen in the military, we’ve got to basically take 20 years of bad habits … and reverse it.”

Hertling addressed these issues by instituting the Soldier Athlete Initiative and Fueling the Soldier program, which changed the way the Army purchased, prepared, and served food to the soldiers. It was also a campaign to educate soldiers on how important it is to eat right. “Soldiers want to survive on the battlefield … if you’re going to be in a world-class organization and you’re going to have to perform like an Olympic athlete on the battlefield, you better fuel yourself for performance, not just eat,” he states. Medeiros also sees a different role for food in the military. As an enlisted aide and military chef, her duties include preparing meals for important meetings between domestic and foreign leaders and heads of state. She knows that food is necessary for building relationships and trust with other countries. “Food brings nations together. The only thing in this world that everyone has in common, is food. And food is life,” she says.

Listen to this discussion on why addressing hunger and nutrition in America is critical to ensuring our national security.

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How can we create a groundswell of support to end childhood hunger in America? On this episode of Add Passion & Stir, No Kid Hungry champion Dorothy McAuliffe shares her insights on what became her signature issue as the First Lady of Virginia. She talks with chef Jason Alley about building awareness and tackling the issue of childhood hunger in Virginia and beyond. “As a first spouse, I learned pretty early that you do have an opportunity with this bully pulpit to raise awareness and to elevate the work,” she says. Chef Alley works hard to bring attention to child hunger in Richmond, VA - in part because he grew up experiencing food insecurity himself. “Food insecurity leaves a lasting impression,” he shares. “It’s inexcusable that we have hungry people in a country that’s this wealthy and produces this much food. That we have 13M hungry children… is embarrassing. It’s a travesty. And it’s entirely fixable.” McAuliffe agrees. “Even one child on one day experiencing hunger and food insecurity in our commonwealth or our country is one too many,” she believes.

McAuliffe’s commitment to the No Kid Hungry campaign has had tremendous impact on Virginia’s kids. When host Billy Shore asks her what worked, McAuliffe says that her experience proves that although child hunger is not a partisan issue, advocates still need to do their homework and connect hunger with educational and economic outcomes to help people see that it’s an investment in our country not a “government handout.” She cites improving test scores, creating a more prepared future work force, and boosting local economies as ways we can make the case. Chef Alley takes a more personal approach in using his own bully pulpit to raise awareness. Each year, he hosts a dinner for chefs from all over the country to raise money for the Feed More Food Bank in Richmond. “When I talk about my story… there’s a level of sometimes confusion, sometimes shock on people’s faces when they realize that I’m the face of hunger,” he notes. “It’s not exclusively the people in low-income housing projects, or [specific areas], it’s everywhere. The face of hunger is looking in the mirror sometimes,” he shares. He thinks bringing attention to the face of hunger is the most powerful thing he can do. “We can’t give $100K to the food bank twice a year, but what we can do is use our platform to do good work and bring attention to these issues.”

Learn from this inspiring and practical conversation about how to create real change in your community.

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How does collective impact save ives? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, philanthropist Karen Ansara talks with chef Michael Serpa about the transformative power of learning and doing within a group setting. Ansara and her husband founded New England International Donors in 2008 to create a network of donors, grant-makers, social investors, and advisors focused on ending global poverty.“How do you address poverty? It’s more than handing out food. Do people have livelihoods, safe communities, healthcare?,” she says. Serpa believes that you need to understand the problems better by exposure to different cultures. “If you work with Haitians and there’s a big disaster in Haiti, they’re going to be affected by that because everyone has family there. Getting exposed … really opens your eyes to what’s going on around the world,” he says. Both guests have experience with Haiti. In 2010, the Ansaras started a fund and issued a challenge grant in response to the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. They were sure to include Boston’s Haitian community - the third largest in the country – in the effort. “We knew almost nothing about Haiti, but they did. And they had a stake in what was going to happen in Haiti. We knew they needed to be in leadership to make sure that Haiti was going to be rebuilt in ways that were fruitful and just for the Haitian people,” she explains. “One of the reasons we created New England International Donors is it’s really hard to get training in philanthropy and it’s hard to find mentors, so we created this network so that we would learn from each other,” she says.

A dedicated No Kid Hungry supporter, Serpa shares the frustration he feels when thinking about childhood hunger in America. “This is stupid, why are kids in school in Massachusetts not getting food. Why are they hungry? It doesn’t make sense in the United States that kids are going hungry,” he says. An avid cyclist, he participates in Chefs Cycle where participants ride 300 miles in 3 days to raise money for No Kid Hungry. “With hyper-competitive chefs and restaurant people…it’s fun because it’s a challenge,” he says. Ansara sees a different aspect. “I would imagine the camaraderie — the shared pain and the shared meals together — are a big part of what motivates people to do it because you know you can have more of an impact when you’ve got a great team,” she concludes.

Listen to these two dedicated change-makers describe how camaraderie and teamwork can make giving back greater than the sum of its parts.

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What is the distinction between helping individuals and helping entire communities? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Debbie Shore talks to Michellene Davis, Esq., Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for RWJBarnabas Health, and celebrity chef Rahman "Rock" Harper about hunger, healthcare, and the vicious cycle of poverty. Both guests see the importance of thinking outside traditional provision of service. Davis works to make structural changes to healthcare delivery in America. “It is not just about the patients and the families that we treat in our hospitals, it’s also about the communities that we serve and vulnerable populations within those communities,” she says. Chef Harper served on the Board of DC Central Kitchen, which provides culinary job training programs along with meals to the community. Harper notes that the 80% job placement and greatly reduced rate of recidivism in their trainees begins to break the cycle of poverty. “It’s fulfilling work, because … when you see the breakthrough, the liberation, that’s when you feel great…to know you can affect another human being’s life and in turn they can affect yours. We can change the world if we apply that viewpoint,” says Harper.

Davis is helping to transform the way RWJBarnabas – a major health care system located in New Jersey - thinks about health outside of just healthcare. “[Healthcare] such a small component of a person’s experience. What about the places where people work, live, play, age? Are we ensuring that folks are living in environments that are sustainable and healthy?,” she asks. She highlights some of the programs and commitments her organization is making to ensure healthy communities. For example, they had an urban greenhouse initiative coupled with a community wellness center that was not immediately successful. After analyzing the situation, they realized the initiative was in a community that relies on the SNAP program but did not accept SNAP vouchers. “That’s like placing it in the heart of their home but saying ‘don’t touch this,’” she says. As a result, not only did they became the first hospital-affiliated greenhouse in the country to accept the vouchers but they worked with policy-makers to set up a system where urban greenhouses and farmers markets would automatically enroll people in WIC and SNAP. “This is a platform issue for us because it affects the health outcomes of these children for generations to come.” Chef Harper is impressed with RWJBarnabas’ approach. “When an organization can ask themselves these tough questions or be 100% objective, that’s extremely valuable,” he says.

Hear about the powerful personal stories of these two change-makers, as well as their ideas about working at the intersection of helping individuals and strengthening communities to help them succeed.

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To change systems that perpetuate poverty and hunger, where do we start? Erin McAleer, President and

CEO of Project Bread in Boston, discusses eradicating hunger with Bob Luz, president and CEO of the

Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA) on this episode of Add Passion and Stir. McAleer

describes a multi-level approach that uses on-the- ground learning to drive a wider systems-level change.

“We’re in community health centers, we’re in schools, we’ve got this hotline, but we take that information

that we’re seeing on the ground and pivot quickly to larger scale systems change,” she says. She cites a

successful program they piloted where children enrolled in SNAP (food stamps) would automatically be

enrolled in school breakfast programs. Luz sees a similar effect on systems in his industry. One out of

every 10 jobs in America is related to the restaurant industry and almost 50% of the businesses are

minority owned and 40% are women owned. Many workers come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and

when they succeed, they want to provide opportunities to other people. “It’s heart-breaking to see initially

and then heart-warming [later] to see as people excel in our industry,” he says. “I don’t think you’re ever

going to see a more philanthropic group of people who believe in being a good neighbor.”

Both guests talk about formative experiences that affected their own attitudes toward hunger and giving

back. For McAleer, it was experiencing food insecurity growing up as one of three children with a single

mother. She remembers going to bed with her “mom on the phone saying ‘how am I going to feed these

kids?’” For Luz, it was one of his first jobs with the 99 Restaurant Group, where the owner’s passion for

giving back was built into the business. This experience laid the foundation for his own attitudes about

philanthropy which he brought to the MRA board and mission. The MRA holds restaurant dinners where

the team donates their time, suppliers donate food and beverage, and all the money goes to a cause,

including the No Kid Hungry campaign. They did five dinners the first year, eight dinners last year, and

will do 12 this year. “We think we can take this across the entire state,” he predicts.

Learn about how channeling resources, knowledge, and compassion can create systems change that can

end hunger.

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Where does the food come from that we feed our kids in schools? Laura Benavidez, Executive Director of

Food and Nutrition Services for the Boston Public Schools, discusses a program she’s spearheading

aimed at transforming how food is sourced, prepared, and served throughout Boston’s public schools.

Currently, most of the food is prepared in New Jersey, frozen, and transported to Boston. “We’re going to

revolutionize how we feed kids,” says Benavidez. Jill Shah, serial entrepreneur and president of the Shah

Family Foundation, is providing the funding to build school kitchens in the 75% of schools who do not

have them so that meals can be prepared on-site with fresh ingredients. Eventually the program, which

has the support of the Mayor, will be expanded throughout the district and impact 57,000 kids. The

ultimate goal is to create a blueprint for other school districts to replicate its success. “We’re more than

happy to share [what we’ve learned] throughout the country,” says Shah.

The ultimate judges of that success are the kids who are thriving on the fresh food prepared in the new

kitchens. Students are given a choice from a menu of healthy options. “Kids are choosing what they eat

and they’re going to eat what they choose,” says Benavidez. The kids are even embracing vegetables.

Shah relates a story about walking into the cafeteria at one of the schools in the program. “There was this

quiet hum, and every kid was leaned over a tray eating, happily. That’s not how a lunch room in a public

school usually is!,” she exclaimed. In addition to this overwhelming anecdotal success, they are funding a

study to gather data on how the program is affecting educational outcomes. This ongoing research will

inform continuing improvement of the program. “Some of it is important to measure with studies, but some

of it is just a vibe that you feel when you walk in to a place,” concludes Shah.

Listen and learn about an innovative program that is transforming the way kids interact with healthy food

at school.

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To start the new year, we are revisiting one our most important episodes of Add Passion and Stir when we spoke with sociologist, 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 have a powerful and timely discussion with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore about poverty in America. Kathy and Tom illustrate how our current systems - political, social, economic, geographic - keep poor people from succeeding. They argue for more equity in our social programs and a more dignified way of serving the poor. Kathy shares stunning statistics and touching anecdotes of the impoverished families with whom she has worked. When she asked one young girl what it was like to be hungry, her response was, "It feels like you want to be dead, because it’s peaceful when you’re dead." Tom believes, "We can't talk about fixing the food system unless we talk about money and politics... subsidies... institutional racism... the history of farming. … If we move the needle just a tad on food equity, it means we're moving a lot of other needles along the way." In Kathy’s work, she found 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.” Hear their recommendations on what we can do as individuals and as a nation to improve these dire circumstances for the poor in America.

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Architecture and design affect your attitude, your health, and even your life. Architect Michael Murphy, executive director of MASS Design Group, and Ken Oringer, one of Boston’s most notable chefs and restaurateurs, talk to Billy Shore about how good design can drive systems change. “We see architecture as a crucial piece … of our daily lives and as a systems approach to how we live either more productive or less productive lives,” says Murphy. Oringer knows the importance of design in his restaurants. “We work 16-hour days, and you have to create an environment that can make everybody happy … and inspire creativity,” he says. Murphy describes a hospital his group designed for a village in Rwanda that had to address tuberculosis. Because TB spreads through the air, they had to mitigate risk by designing better ventilation, creating outdoor waiting areas, and eliminating hallways. “A hospital is an incredible system… but it’s only successful if we’ve designed it well enough to influence medical policy on how we’re designing hospitals in the future,” Murphy says. Chef Oringer faced a similar challenge redesigning 3 school kitchens in the Boston public school system. “If we create spaces where the kids get excited to eat, that’s the start of getting kids to be motivated by [good] food,” he observes. He is currently talking to the Mayor about redesigning 30 to 50 more Boston school kitchens next year and eventually all of them. Murphy is inspired by this plan. “If we can solve it one place, can it affect an entire system?,” he asks.

Oringer - a long-time supporter of the No Kid Hungry campaign - believes chefs need to be leaders because food is the common denominator in our world. “Chefs have the DNA to take care of people,” he says. Murphy believes there are similarities in his field. “Architects don’t become architects for the paychecks. It’s a passion industry,” he explains. He and his partners set up the non-profit MASS (which stands for Model of Architecture that Serves Society) to bring great design to organizations and communities that would not be able to afford it otherwise. Part of its mission is to build a pipeline of projects and partners around the world to change the system. “I want to work with innovators or thought leaders or organizations who are doing real big systems change work,” he concludes.

Listen to gain a deeper understanding of how the built environment affects our lives and can be used to drive systems-level change.

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How can we move poor communities from hopelessness to hopefulness? In this fascinating episode of

Add Passion and Stir, Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO of Heifer International, and Matt Bell, chef and

owner of South on Main restaurant in Little Rock, share insights about creating value in poor communities

with hosts Debbie and Billy Shore. 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,” 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.

Heifer International provides resources, capital, and knowledge to help enable small farmers to generate

sustainable income, which gets cycled back into their communities creating opportunities for building

schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

Ferrari describes a program with female farmers in Nepal which is creating a goat meat value-chain by

working with banks to fund this system. There are now 150,000 women organized into small self-help

groups, which organize into larger co-ops and then an even larger union. “They are now feeling the

dignity of being economically self-reliant,” he concludes. Heifer International measures success by giving

people a ‘living income,’ which is a carefully calculated value that is “very complicated…but basically lets

farmers live a life of dignity,” says Ferrari. Bell recalls his childhood when parents in his community

created an informal system to ensure one little boy growing up in poverty always had food. “A group of

moms would take turns packing and extra lunch for Daniel, and they would say, ‘Make sure you give this

to Daniel before you get to class, so there’s no stigma,’” he remembers. Growing up on a cattle ranch

also gave him a unique perspective on the food chain. “An understanding of that gives us more empathy

into how we tackle hunger issues worldwide and locally.” Bell’s values led him to become a passionate

supporter of the No Kid Hungry campaign.

Get inspired by this sincere discussion about ending hunger and poverty.

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Do you feel more empathy for certain people in need than you do for others? Feeding America CEO Diana Aviv says we need to “close the empathy gap.” She discusses empathy and food with Nick Stefanelli, chef/owner of Masseria Restaurant in DC, and Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore on this episode of Add Passion and Stir. Aviv cites recent research that found people who were sympathetic toward people using food banks changed their attitudes when asked about people using public assistance. “The only group they didn’t change their attitude towards was kids,” she says. This indicates that in order to solve the hunger problem, we need to help people extend their empathy for children to the whole family. Stefanelli fights child hunger by supporting No Kid Hungry and teaching about food and cooking in kindergarten classes. “[Hunger] is an issue that we’ve been looking at since ancient Rome, with the grain sheds and giving out bread, and we’re still dealing with it in 2017,” he says.

Aviv notes that Share Our Strength has done a great job tapping into the giving spirit and making it easy for chefs to get involved. Billy and Debbie Shore observe that it would be hard to find a chef who is not supporting a cause. “Chefs and restaurants are looking for ways to get involved and just waiting to be asked,” Debbie says. Stefanelli cites a strong connection to his heritage from the Puglia region of Italy, where food and community are fundamentally intertwined, for why he gives back. “Food brings everybody together. What happens at the table when people come together is a very important thing,” he says.

Feeding America, which runs a nationwide network of foodbanks, is currently focused on using technology to build greater efficiency into the distribution of food to the hungry. Aviv mentions Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods and its focus on efficiency. “There are huge opportunities to take that technology … and develop ways we can get the food faster to the people who need it,” she says. Quoting statistics that 21% of our fresh water is used to produce food - of which 40% goes to waste – Aviv declares: “We can feed America and we can feed the world.”

Listen to this powerful conversation about the power of empathy in ending hunger in America.

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Do you think beyond the statistics to the individual lives affected by conflict, poverty, and hunger? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two powerful and passionate advocates, Abby Maxman, President of Oxfam America, and Tatiana Rosana, executive chef at Outlook Kitchen & Bar at the Envoy Hotel in Boston, discuss national and international humanitarian problems through the lens of personal stories of suffering, courage, and hope. Both women rose to the top of male-dominated professions and believe their work ethic was in part a response to having to work harder than male counterparts to gain the respect they deserve. This fierce determination informs the work they do helping others. Maxman, who has spent her career doing international development and aid work, recounts meeting a woman named Faith in South Sudan who walked an entire month with her four children after being displaced by conflict, all the while making decisions like which child gets to eat today. “It fuels a sense of urgency, passion and inspiration to do the work,” she says. Rosana found that growing up in an immigrant family from impoverished Cuba made her acutely aware of the issues of poverty and hunger. Feeling fortunate and helping others was ingrained in her from very young age, and as a chef she became a long-time supporter of the No Kid Hungry campaign. “I’m doing what I can with what I have to help. It takes nothing more than your time to invest in these children,” she says.

Host Billy Shore asks Maxman how Oxfam is able to tackle the overwhelming problems of conflict and poverty in areas where governments and the UN cannot. “We use our voice… we make sure that all of our polic[ies] and messages are grounded in the stories of Faith and many others,” she says. Staggering statistics alone — 65M refugees, 880M people going hungry every night – are not effective. “We’re talking about human beings,” she emphasizes. Clearly moved by the discussion, Rosana agrees “When we put names to the numbers, how can you not want to speak up, how can you not want to help? They’re not just numbers, they’re human beings that are going to bed hungry,” she pleads.

Listen to these two dynamic women talk about why getting personal helps fuel their drive to help those in need.

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Have you ever wondered how people who motivate others stay motivated themselves? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two high-powered changemakers talk about what drives them as they inspire those around them. Dr. Clint Mitchell, Principal at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School in Fairfax, VA works in a low-income community school. In a career that has unusually high turn-over (statistics say most teachers will quit after three to five years) Mitchell finds he has to hire teachers who are passionate about the work and willing to go the extra mile for underprivileged kids. “It’s my job to keep them positive,” he says. Relating it to passion in the cooks he hires, Zack Mills, chef at Wit & Wisdom in Baltimore, jokes, “It’s a slight craziness. You have to be slightly off to be that passionate.” Host Billy Shore asks his two guests how they themselves avoid burnout. Chef Mills considers himself lucky because he’s always had a passion for cooking and enjoys helping those who work for him achieve success. He uses the Japanese term Kaizen - trying to be better than the day before - to describe his philosophy for work and life. “We’re always learning. If we think we’re not learning anymore, then we’re in the wrong place,” he concludes. Dr. Mitchell echoes that sentiment. “I tell my teachers, ‘every single day we get a fresh start and the kids get a fresh start. So every single day, make that day the best day.’”

Both Mitchell and Mills are long-time supporters of the No Kid Hungry campaign. Mitchell is on the frontlines of the battle against childhood hunger in our schools; 91% of the kids in his district receive free or reduced meals. “When kids are hungry, they shut down. It becomes a behavior issue…but the root cause is hunger,” he points out. Mills recently participated in a No Kid Hungry impact trip in Northern Virginia. He says there is nothing like bearing witness to the kids in need and the work that is being done to help them. “Everybody was so passionate about making sure the children were fed. I wanted to get even more involved after that,” he says.

Get back to basics through this conversation about school hunger with two changemakers who not only share their own passion, but bring it out in others.

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Have you ever wondered how helping another person can cause a ripple effect of positive impact? In this heartfelt episode of Add Passion and Stir, host Billy Shore and guests celebrity chef Curtis Stone and attorney and foster care advocate Miles Cooley discuss the far-reaching effects that occur when we act as an advocate for people in need. Cooley, who experienced profound neglect as a young child and lost his mother at age five, grew up in the foster care system in California. “The great part of my story, and why I think an advocate can make such a difference, is there was a school psychologist…who took an interest in me. Her name is Leslie Cooley and she is the woman I now call Mom.” Stone has seen an advocate make an impact in his own family. “It’s really unbelievable, isn’t it? … It’s just that one decision a person makes to say ‘I’ll give a damn about this person and I’ll actually go out on a bit of limb,’” he says. He recounts the story of his own mother-in-law, a Korean War orphan who lived on the streets of Korea for five or six years following the war and then was adopted by an American family. “If it wasn’t for that family deciding to adopt this little girl from Korea, my wife wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t have met her and my kids wouldn’t exist,” ponders Stone.

In addition to being a long-time Share Our Strength supporter, Stone - who owns two restaurants in Los Angeles (Maude and Gwen) - works with Chrysalis, an organization dedicated to creating a pathway to self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income individuals. For Stone, this provides an opportunity to impact individuals in need by mentoring. “We employed our first Chrysalis employee at the restaurant four years ago as a dishwasher. He’s now a supervisor, he looks after 15 employees,” says Stone. Recently, he shared the Chrysalis story with other leaders in the restaurant industry and says there are already six or seven who have begun working with them. For Cooley, paying it forward is part of his DNA. “Having come from a foster care experience…once I was in a position to think outside myself and had the wherewithal, it was a forgone conclusion that I was going to be invested and involved in trying to help kids who came up like I did,” he explains. He works with a number of organizations that advocate for foster kids including John Burton Advocates, Peace4Kids, and First Star.

Listen to this authentic and powerful conversation that will make you consider the far-reaching effects of advocating for someone less fortunate.

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How do we tackle the big social problems that government should be solving? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Jamie Leeds, chef/owner of Hank’s Oyster Bars in Washington DC and long-time supporter of the No Kid Hungry campaign, and Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus, an organization dedicated to making children and families the priority in federal policy and budget decisions, talk about the best ways to have an impact on the most important social problems. Leeds - who just completed the James Beard Foundation Chefs Bootcamp for Policy and Change - uses her platform to bring more attention to the issue of hunger and food waste in America. Lesley is focused on children’s healthcare issues. “When people think about the Medicaid program … they don’t realize that half of the enrollees in Medicaid are kids. That’s 37M across the country,” he points out.“The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)… serves another 8.9M kids.” However, a proposal in the Senate would have slashed Medicaid 31% for children and Congress allowed CHIP to expire on September 30th.

“How can this happen?,” asks host and Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore. “It seems like there’s this tension between things that you can do individually, but are small in impact, and wanting to do things at a bigger scale, which only government can do, but government seems to be so broken,” he observes. A veteran of Capitol Hill, Lesley saw first-hand the deepening acrimony in Congress, which led him to the conclusion he could have a bigger impact working on issues from outside government. Leeds developed a direct response to the Trump administration’s 90-day ban on immigration. Recently, her six restaurants began donating one percent of sales split among four organizations: Planned Parenthood, ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, and NAACP. “We needed to do something,” says Leeds. “I feel very fortunate in my profession, and feel very passionate about giving back and making sure people are taken of,” she explains. Lesley agrees with this approach. “Pick your issue or cause and really hook up with that non-profit… you feel like you’re giving to the community in some way, but it also gives you a sense of community,” he advises.

Tune in to find out how these two changemakers are marshaling resources to take on some of our biggest social problems.

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Jeff Bridges, the award-winning actor and national spokesperson for Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign has recorded a very special message for you.

Jeff is helping us celebrate the anniversary of our new passion project, Add Passion and Stir, a weekly podcast I host with my sister Debbie about making a difference in the world through an examination of the central role food plays in all of the issues we care about. Every week, we talk with dedicated and compassionate culinary leaders and inspirational change-makers in a lively and thoughtful exchange unlike any other.

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How can we focus our empathy for others to solve big social problems? The two guests on this week’s episode of Add Passion and Stir use their empathy to make the world a better place. AARP Foundation President Lisa Ryerson’s conscience led her to mission-driven work. Right now, that mission is hunger among America’s older population. “Ten million people who are 50 and older are hungry each and every day in this nation. And older adults who are hungry living in poverty don’t often ask for the help they need,” she says. Buttercream Bake Shop owner and long-time No Kid Hungry supporter Tiffany MacIsaac also carefully considers how she gives back. “It really is so hard because you… want to help everyone… but for us, food is such an important part of our life. We’ve invested most of our energy into helping with hunger,” she says. Both of these changemakers are focused on real impact. “Focus does matter when you’re trying to drive outcomes,” says Ryerson. “It’s way past time to solve for hunger in America,” she states. AARP Foundation is a founding member of the Root Cause Coalition – an Add Passion and Stir sponsor - which addresses the root causes of health disparities.

Referencing recent headlines, host and Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore asks about sexual harassment in the work place - especially the traditionally male-dominated world of professional kitchens. “For women, these stories are not surprises,” says Ryerson. MacIsaac agrees. “That’s what’s unfortunate. I think everyone knows it, but nobody wants to talk about it. [We need to] force people to talk about it and force people to confront it,” she believes. She also emphasizes the need to speak out when injustice or harassment is happening to someone else. Whether talking about poverty, hunger or sexual harassment, Ryerson concludes, “We are all bound together. We need to take care of each other and not be blind to injustices.”

Share in this multi-layered conversation about humanity and our sense of shared accountability.

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Did you know that low-income kids get 80% of their calories from school meals? How can schools push the food system to provide better food? On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, hosts and Share Our Strength cofounders Billy and Debbie Shore chat with Washington, DC chef and restaurateur Mike Isabella and social impact innovator and strategist Josh Wachs about child hunger and improving school food programs. Both have seen how demand can drive food systems to be healthier and more sustainable.

Wachs advises the Urban School Food Alliance, a coalition of 10 large urban school districts from around the country that serve about three million kids over three quarters of a billion meals each year. “They are a collection of districts that came together and said, ‘we can collectively through our joint purchasing power radically change the school food market,’” says Wachs. “Because more low-income kids are getting school breakfasts and lunches through programs like Share Our Strength, parents of low income kids are starting to increase pressure on districts over what’s in the food,” he notes. Chef Isabella sees a similar pattern at his twelve restaurants where customer knowledge and expectations are forcing chefs to become better. “Nowadays, everyone knows what they’re eating,” he says. “They read labels. Everyone thinks they’re a foodie, which is a good thing.” This dovetails with his work with school districts where he supports programs that teach kids about healthy food.

Listen and learn how consumer education, demand and buying power can transform our food systems.

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This episode marks the one year anniversary of Add Passion and Stir, and we celebrate with a special introduction from the legendary Jeff Bridges, who serves as national spokesperson for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. How can you make a difference if you are passionate about the intersection of food and political, social, and environmental issues? “Mindfulness and inquisitiveness, which go hand in hand,” says Mitchell Davis, Executive Vice President of The James Beard Foundation. “The more questions we can ask about where food comes from, the more mindful we are about the decisions we make. By asking questions, you force change and transparency into a system that is otherwise opaque in so many ways,” says Davis. Michael Anthony, long-time Share Our Strength supporter and Chef/Partner at the landmark Gramercy Tavern in New York, agrees. “The future is restaurants that are tuned in and listening carefully. The questions can be profound about where does the food come from, how is it produced, who works in your restaurant, how are they paid, where do they live?,” he says. We can all make a difference by asking these questions.

These social activists also discuss the legacy of James Beard, the father of American cuisine, and delve into how his namesake foundation is continuing his vision of building a vibrant and unique values-based food culture in the US. One of the pillars of the James Beard Foundation’s work is the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change, where chefs get training and support to use their platform and celebrity to impact issues important to them like hunger, sustainable agriculture or immigration. “Cultivating leadership and diversity and infusing values is what we want American food to be,” says Davis. Chef Anthony was a participant in the first Chefs Boot Camp thirteen years ago. He models his activism at Gramercy Tavern. “Everyday we’re focused on engaging, listening to our staff, articulating our point of view and vision,” he says. The Boot Camp now has 200 alumni, many of whom are using the skills they learned to be active in national and community level social issues. “[There is] tremendous work going on across the spectrum of issues and policies. One thing that was really important was the idea that we could grow a network… that leads to systemic change,” says Davis.

Get inspired by the past, present, and future of American cuisine and the power of chef activists.

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How can a focus on hospitality create the relationships that build and transform communities? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, host Billy Shore explores the concept of hospitality with Chef-owner Will Gilson (Puritan & Company in Cambridge, MA) and Sarah Rosenkrantz and Sam Greenberg, social entrepreneurs and co-directors of Y2Y Harvard Square (a youth homeless shelter in Cambridge, MA). Although from different professional backgrounds, the guests share how they are building community by focusing on relationships. “Volunteers and guests work together to prepare meals. Bonding that occurs in the kitchen spills out into the dining area. Meal preparation and sharing meals is creating communities and bridging communities,” says Rosencrantz. Gilson wants his restaurant guests to feel like they’re in someone’s home. “Are we creating relationships or is it just a transaction?,” he asks regarding every aspect of his business.

Y2Y Harvard Square has more than doubled the number of easily accessible beds for young adults ages 18-24 in the Greater Boston area. It serves as an entry point to critical resources for young adults by providing referrals to partner service providers. Student volunteers advised by faculty and professionals offer programming in legal aid, career readiness, and creative expression. “We fundamentally believe as students that our peers should be housed and have the chance to succeed,” says Greenberg. Gilson feels that his employees should also have the chance to succeed. Any business venture that he considers must first pass the test of whether his employees can afford to live in the communities where they work. “When we turn down a project, it may not be that we don’t have the ability to raise the funds to open it up, we might not have the person capital to do it. We might not be able to find staffing because there’s nowhere for them to live affordably,” he says.

Be inspired by how these entrepreneurs are changing the world for our next generation.

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When so many things feel out of our control in this world, how can we provide tangible help to people in need? Changemakers Michael Babin (Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture) and Meghan Ogilvie (Dog Tag, Inc., Dog Tag Bakery) are giving people skills and tools to find meaning and purpose. In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Babin and Ogilvie describe what drives them to serve their communities and bring opportunities to deserving kids, adults and military service members. “The people who need good food the most are the ones least likely to ever have it show up on their plates,” says Babin. To address this need, his nonprofit Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture brings mobile farmers markets to low-income neighborhoods, runs farm camps for kids, and trains military veterans as farmers. His 16 Washington, DC restaurants also source their food from sustainable farms in the region.

Ogilvie’s Marine father once told her: “You’ll find your way to serve.” She found it in Dog Tag, Inc, a nonprofit with a fellowship program for military service members, spouses and caregivers that offers a Certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University and real-life work experience in their bakery. “We are igniting the human spirit and finding purpose again,” she says of their graduates. Dog Tag Bakery also sources much of its supplies from veteran-run businesses in the DC area.

Don’t feel helpless – be empowered to help on-the-ground organizations like these provide real help for people in need in your community.

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How are we helping our kids succeed against formidable odds? Change agents chef Alex Guarnaschelli (Chopped, Iron Chef) and nonprofit leader Howell Wechsler (Alliance for A Healthier Generation) share how they are working to end child hunger in this episode of Add Passion and Stir. “There isn’t any reason why a child should lose their right to become an adult,” says Guarnaschelli, who spends considerable time, energy and social capital working for causes like No Kid Hungry and City Harvest. “If we had more celebrity chefs doing this, we would have a tremendous impact,” says Wechsler.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is focused on ending the childhood obesity epidemic in America, which Wechsler calls a “disaster for our country.” With 1 in 3 kids obese or overweight, the health costs alone are staggering. “We’re going to bankrupt ourselves as a nation,” he says. The Alliance helps establish and enforce federal nutrition standards for school food, including a new tool on Amazon that enables schools to purchase food that meets these standards. Guarnaschelli raises money and awareness for causes that are meaningful for her. “I like this concept of working with organizations with ‘end’ in their mission statement,” she says. She leverages her celebrity for these causes. “I always say that being a chef is 93% social and 7% produce.”

Be inspired by how these guests are changing the world for our next generation.

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What does food have to do with politics? Baker Mark Furstenberg (Bread Furst, The Breadline) and writer and food critic Corby Kummer (The Atlantic, Aspen Institute Ideas Magazine) join fellow social justice champion host Billy Shore (Share Our Strength) to discuss food, politics and community in this episode of Add Passion and Stir. When Shore asks about the political climate and issues like immigration reform, Kummer expresses concern. “This is something that every restaurant owner and food supplier and somebody who cares about food has to take on for themselves. Personal responsibility is a lot more important than we want it to be, but - in the absence of government leadership – it has to be,” he says. Furstenburg is also worried. “It’s impossible to not be affected by the political climate,” he says. “The word ‘poor’ has disappeared from our political vocabulary… [but] food is the most basic concern of poor people.”

Furstenburg – who started baking after the age of 50 and went on to win the 2017 James Beard Award as the nation's Outstanding Baker– uses his bakeries to build community. His Bread Furst is in “the neighborhood in which my sister had built a monumentally important community feeling [around the iconic Politics and Prose bookstore]. My sister had done that so well with books, I really wanted to do it with bread,” he says. It is this community aspect that caused 5-time James Beard Award-winner Kummer to fall in love with food. “It’s the people [like Furstenburg] who build community at their own table. When I go to a new city, I look for the place that values community,” he shares.

Hear these dynamic food lovers’ opinions on politics, community and Yelp reviews.

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Why do we so often treat the symptoms of a problem and not the root cause? The gamechangers on this episode of Add Passion and Stir go straight to the cause. Barbara Petee, Executive Director of The Root Cause Coalition, and Lauren Shweder Biel, Executive Director of DC Greens, speak with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about solutions to deep-rooted social problems like hunger and poor health outcomes. Petee explains how the health care industry could be doing more to keep people healthy, which led to the creation of the Root Cause Coalition. “We need to engage the health care industry in addressing hunger as a health issue because the cost to health care is about $130.5 billion annually,” she says. “Should we not be investing more at the front end as opposed to paying at the back end?” Shweder Biel describes how DC Greens is doing that locally, working across sectors to discover systems-level solutions to food education, food access, and food policy. “Food is not a luxury,” she says.

The Root Cause Coalition – an Add Passion and Stir sponsor – works to address hunger and other interrelated social determinants of health. Petee is inspired by the progress so far. “[Our member organizations] are not organizations that are just thinking about delving into these areas, these are organizations that understand why they must and how they are working on solutions.” DC Greens is also looking at practical solutions. For example, Shweder Biel talks about their Fruit and Vegetable Prescription program where DC Greens also works to ensure that people living in low income neighborhoods have access to stores where they can fill those prescriptions. “The advances in root causes and embedding them into clinical settings is such an important first step, but there needs to be a solution that goes along with that,” she stresses.

Be inspired by these real life solutions that are changing people’s health and life outcomes.

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What happens when we invest time and resources in young kids? How does it impact their futures and the future of our nation? Legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer (Union Square Hospitality Group, Shake Shack) and child psychologist Emily Chinitz (Center for Child Health & Resiliency, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore) have answers on the latest episode of Add Passion and Stir. “Ages 0-5 years is a critical time in development of young children,” says Chinitz, who treats children with a variety of issues like anxiety, depression, trauma, parent-child relationship and attachment issues, and adjustment difficulties related to loss or other family/social stressors. “A lot can be done if we either prevent difficult things from happening, or support children and families when kids are still really young.” Chinitz has seen the benefits of early interventions like therapy, help with food insecurity, and giving parents new skills. “You don’t have to be fully defined by your experience,” she says.

Share Our Strength Board member Meyer uses both his business acumen and his passion for social justice to support causes like the No Kid Hungry campaign because he knows that investing in kids when they are young offers the best return on investment. “I am combining my love for food with making the right investments at the right time for people when they need it the most,” he says. His commitment to social justice comes from experience. “I have tried to show that doing the right thing is actually more profitable. Doing the right thing actually leads to more customers. Doing the right thing leads to attracting better employees… I want to work with people who care about things over and beyond the thing that they’re being paid to do. I believe that is going to lead to a better business.” Meyer, his restaurants and chefs have earned an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, so he must be doing something right.

Listen and learn about the importance of early child development in creating healthy children.

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What will it take to help our nation get healthy? Add Passion and Stir guests chef Seamus Mullen, (Tertulia in New York City) and Sam Kass (former Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy for the Obama White House) are passionate about nutritious, good food. Kass has experience setting the Obama family up for better food choices. “We eat what we see,” he says. “If we’re constantly having to fight ourselves and rely on willpower, we’re going to lose every time.” Mullen discovered the miraculous power of good food during his own health crisis. In the midst of very severe, life-threatening symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, he thought, “What are the factors that create an environment in which the body can be either healthy or ill?” He realized he could fight his illness. “I didn’t have to be a sick person… Food was a tool I had at my disposal.” He completely eliminated his disease by changing his diet.

Both guests talk with host Billy Shore about the broad impact of ensuring all Americans are able to make healthy food choices. Kass and the Obamas set an example for the entire country, beginning with the White House gardens and expanding nationwide through health programs and food policies. They began a conversation with the nation about what we are feeding our kids. “If we want to really change [healthy food options], we have to change our cultural values about what we eat. It’s not about health food, at all – it’s about good food and what we mean by that.” Mullen believes that all providers of food, including chefs, have a responsibility to the people they feed. “If we can just create health and wellness from the beginning,” he says. “If a tree has brown leaves, you don’t paint the leaves green. You look at the root system and the soil.”

Listen to these stories of massive change through better food, as well as which qualities make a good president.

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Which is more important, ‘what’ you do or ‘why’ you do it? The two trailblazing business leaders on this episode of Add Passion and Stir are driven by more than just the bottom line. Jeff Swartz, former CEO of Timberland, and James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Maws (Craigie on Main, Kirkland Tap and Trotter) prioritize social justice in their work. Speaking with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore, Swartz and Maws express their passion for purpose beyond profit. “It took me 30 years to figure out that the question is not ‘what?,’ it’s ‘why does it matter,’” says Swartz. “It wasn’t altruistic – it was deeply needful. I wanted a purpose beyond making the quarter.” Under his leadership, Timberland supported nonprofits like Share Our Strength and City Year. Maws sets high standards for his work fighting child hunger with the No Kid Hungry campaign. “I wish I could do more. There are kids that are not being provided with food and the happiness that comes with it… to me it’s just revolting,” he states.

In this tumultuous and uncertain time in our country, Swartz, Maws and Shore also discuss how we can all cope. The election made Maws think differently. “I’m looking for my own bullet points: what are the things that I can do? How am I going to have an impact?,” he says. “It needs to be more than what I have been doing.” Swartz is also ready to act. “The election’s not over,” he says. “People [are] not asking the right question. They should be saying ‘Here’s what it is… now what are we going to do about it?’” He is certain that we all have to do our part. “Sitting on the sidelines and being an angry victim just doesn’t cut it.”

Listen to this motivating conversation about finding purpose and meaning in your life.

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Do you know the #1 cause of death in America? It is not what you think - our diet has surpassed smoking as a cause of death. Michel Nischan, chef and Founder, President and CEO of Wholesome Wave, and Lindsey Seegers, Program Manager of Nutrition Education at Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, MD know that food-related disease is both deadly and preventable. They join Share Our Strength founders Debbie and Billy Shore to explain some promising ways they are addressing the root causes of diet-related diseases. “We spend about $1.4 trillion a year on diet-related disease,” says Nischan. Yet the economic disparities of a disease like Type 2 Diabetes are stark. “I learned that the majority of the people that struggle with that condition lived at income levels so low they couldn’t even afford the basic ingredients to help them prevent the disease in the first place.” Seegers works with thousands of families in Montgomery County on nutritious eating. “Healthy eating is not just for the rich,” she stresses. “What parents want so much is to feed their children well – they want the best for their kids. The challenge is to be able to afford adequate and enough wholesome staple foods.”

Both guests believe that systemic changes are needed to impact health outcomes, and they are making real progress. Seegers’ work at Manna Food Center focuses on nutrition education – not just food distribution – to help families learn how to identify and afford healthy foods on a budget. They are also launching a retrofitted school bus that serves as a mobile kitchen and pop-up pantry. Wholesome Wave began a 2-for-1 program for buying fruits and vegetables with SNAP food stamps with private funding which grew into a federally-funded program in the Farm Bill called the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program with $100M over 5 years. Nischan did not predict the success of the model. “However complicated the root causes are, something as simplistic as providing affordability thru incentives can be so powerful – it’s mindboggling.” FINI has also had larger economic impacts because farmers whose produce is purchased through the program are responding to this increased demand by making infrastructural improvements and expanding their enterprises.

These food justice leaders also discuss the recent threats to the SNAP food stamp program and the effect that cuts would have on families and the economy. “Food is where people are going to cut when things get really tight,” reports Seegers, which means that preventing diet-related disease will be even more difficult. “It’s just wrongheaded,” says Nischan. He cites the return on investment of giving people access to healthy food vs. paying for expensive health care treatments like dialysis. “$100 thousand dollars saves $4 million dollars.”

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What do you do when you witness profound need? Do you stand by and feel badly, or do you do something about it? Changemakers Jim Ansara, founder of Build Health International and hunger advocate and Boston chef Michael Scelfo (Alden & Harlow, Waypoint) are driven by the need to make a difference. On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Ansara, Scelfo and podcast host Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore discuss the stubbornness and resilience it takes to do something about a big social problem. When he first witnessed the extreme poverty and deep injustice in Haiti even before the devastating earthquake of 2010, “At first I was totally overwhelmed,” he says. “And then I was determined to do something about it.” He worked for years after the earthquake to build the largest solar-powered hospital in the work to serve the profound need in Haiti. Scelfo similarly acted to address the need in communities close to his restaurants working with the No Kid Hungry campaign. “Our work is really powerful on the level that we can do it,” he says. He feels he is just getting started in his hunger advocacy work. “I know we have a long way to go, but I just have to keep going – that’s all I can do.”

Ansara, Scelfo and Shore compare the situation in Haiti with that here in America. Ansara points out that Haiti’s problems have deep roots that go back hundreds of years. “The US and other countries have not been kind to Haiti,” he reports. “Is it unfixable?,” asks Shore. “Should we be hopeful, or cynical, or both?” Ansara replies, “If you’re going to work in Haiti, you have to have a 20 to 50 year time horizon. There are no immediate, short-term turnarounds or gains.” However, the situation is very different here at home. “Childhood hunger [in America] is solvable… We have the resources to feed our children,” stresses Ansara. “It’s morally wrong that we as a society don’t focus on this.” Scelfo is determined to be a better advocate and make his voice heard.

Listen to be inspired how these leaders tenaciously work to solve these big social problems here and abroad.

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What would happen if an entire industry banded together to solve a problem? According to the two leaders on this episode of Add Passion and Stir, the industry would completely solve that problem. John Miller, CEO of Denny’s and Amanda Hite, Co-founder and CEO of Be The Change Revolutions think that the restaurant industry can end child hunger in America. Hite describes the industry as “massive, powerful and influential.” “We’re the industry that feeds people for a living,” says Miller. “Shouldn’t we be involved in being the solution to ending child hunger in America. If not us, then who?” Podcast hosts Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore agree. “We can’t wait for the tipping point; we have to force it,” Debbie believes.

Both guests are heavily involved with Dine Out for No Kid Hungry, a restaurant-led campaign that raises funds for No Kid Hungry’s work on getting more kids access to school breakfasts, school lunches and summer meals. Denny’s has been a participant for many years, raising over $4M for hungry kids. “The infrastructure of Dine Out makes it easy,” says Miller. “You see the need, you see the kids, you see the difference you’re making.” Hite, who created a social media company because she was impressed by the internet’s ability to bring communities together and ignite for change, sees the power of all the participating restaurants’ networks and fan bases coming together. “You’ll see 200M social media impressions on Dine Out,” she reports. “The Dine Out map broke!”

When Billy Shore asks Miller and Hite about the role of partisan politics in fighting child hunger, they are adamant that politics should play no role. Miller believes we can make the case with “stubborn facts” to get people with different political believes working side by side. “These are our children, the next generation of children. They are struggling. They need their voices heard. And they don’t have a chance unless [we] feed them…,” he says. “Those are the facts, so we just have to come together and solve it.”

Listen to see how the restaurant industry and others can make kids’ voices heard.

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Do you have to be a certain age to solve a problem in your community? Does it take a specific level of experience to see someone in need and offer to help? In this powerful episode of Add Passion and Stir, hear from two young people from the next generation of leaders. Millennial chef Bobby Pradachith (Thip Khao) and recent college graduate and anti-hunger advocate Alana Davidson (University of New Hampshire) join Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore to share how they are already making big impacts in their communities. When Alana discovered that a quarter of her college classmates struggled with hunger, she sprang into action by contacting the governor and the dean of students. “I couldn’t sit on the number,” she says. “I had to do something about it.” Her efforts resulted in Swipe It Forward, a stigma-free meal donation program for any student experiencing food insecurity. Chef Bobby leads his unique Lao restaurant – the only one in DC - with bold and authentic menu options that both intrigue American diners and minimize food waste. “We don’t hold back,” he promises.

Despite their accomplishments, both millennial superstars remain driven to increase their impact going forward. Chef Bobby is inspired by his family’s culture and work ethic, and plans to increase his involvement with helping those less fortunate both here and in Laos. The secret to his continued success will be persistence. “If you have goals, you have to work hard at them,” he says. Alana is looking forward to graduate school at Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and a future working on federal food policy. “Nutrition is never one of the national priorities,” she laments. “Food is used as a tool to keep people in poverty… How can we have a conversation around nutrition that isn’t polarized or too political because we all have to eat.” Host Billy Shore agrees. He describes the military concept of a ‘show of force,’ but posits, “What if our show of force was: We’re going to have the strongest generation in history because we’re going to feed them and educate them… We’re going to invest in kids and health and nutrition and access to food for everyone. Now that’s a pretty different way than most people think of a show of force, but I think there’s an opportunity there to wake people up. These issues really do affect our nation’s strength.”

Listen and be inspired by these two young visionaries who are changing the world.

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Is food the center of the world? How do your life and your values relate to food? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two culinary greats discuss how food changes the world. Former Food & Wine editor-turned-podcast host Dana Cowin (Speaking Broadly) and Betony chef-turned-liquor entrepreneur Eamon Rockey (Rockey’s) join Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore to provide insights into how celebrity chefs are opening our minds and influencing our social justice concerns, the evolution of how we prefer to access food, and maintaining the successful trajectory of nonprofits like Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Their conversation illustrates how food impacts everything from culture to lifestyle choices to social causes. “Food is at the center of everything; it’s at the center of the world; it’s at the center of each individual’s life,” says Cowin.

“Chefs introduce Americans to cultures,” Cowin believes, by introducing us to global cuisines. She thinks experiencing and learning about other cultures’ food opens our minds. “Those of us who care have become much more accepting of the entire world.” Both guests are inspired by the No Kid Hungry campaign. “What differentiates Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry from all others – head and shoulders above others… is giving people the opportunity to make a difference and feel that difference,” Rockey states. He believes the key is how the campaign harnesses the skill and energy of chefs at its fundraising events. “[The chefs] know their efforts are going to translate into good… because the happiness they derive out of it and the impact they make are so clear and apparent,” he says. Cowin underscores No Kid Hungry’s ability to innovate, such as turning a few chefs’ “hard-core passion” for cycling into the now-annual Chefs Cycle fundraiser. Both Cowin and Rockey also discuss their recent major career transitions and what comes next for each of them.

Listen to the conversation and tell us how it inspires you!

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Is there a way to unite people with different values and ensure everyone works to be at their absolute best? On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, three innovative leaders and a visionary young artist discuss possible solutions to our most pressing social problems. David Simpson (Executive Director of All Our Kids), Ashley Koff (nutrition expert) and Tahrook (23 year-old painter) join Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore for a conversation about how we need to bring out each individual’s potential in order to succeed as a country.

“Kids deserve to feel loved and valued,” says Simpson. “If we can help them become successful happy adults – why would we not?” He describes how nonprofit All Our Kids is encouraging young people in the DC area that they deserve to dream, and often that encouragement occurs over a community meal. Koff agrees. “We need a country of individuals who are all better at what they choose to do,” she says, and access to healthy food is critical. “If we continue to make access to better health and better nutrition a political issue, we will fail as a country.” She shares how she enables people to make better health decisions despite mixed messages in the American media. Billy Shore underscores the ability of anyone to make a difference. “In the social change space, getting close, bearing witness, going into the community, working with people directly is often the precursor to really powerful, transformational change,” he says. “Don’t just post, don’t just preach, get your hands dirty and get involved.”

Listen to this inspirational conversation about social justice and tell us how you make a difference in your community!

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Do you need to take care of yourself first so you can take care of others? What are the physical and mental benefits of doing something athletic for a cause? In another special edition of Add Passion and Stir taped at Chefs Cycle, hear from chef Jeff Mahin (Stella Barra Pizzeria, Do-Rite Donuts, M Street Kitchen) and pro athlete-turned-chef Lentine Alexis on what cycling for the cause of hungry kids means to them. The two chefs join Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore and Share Our Strength Associate Director of Chefs Cycle Adele Nelson on Day 2 of Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride in Santa Rosa, CA for No Kid Hungry.

Chefs of all cycling levels – 230 this year, up from just 6 in 2014 - care deeply about feeding hungry kids. Mahin feels that helping is contagious, especially in the culinary world. “We all as chefs understand how powerful food is, and then when you combine that with being and athlete and understanding hunger, then [Chefs Cycle] is real close to home.” Former professional triathlete Alexis finds it very natural. “Our [culinary] community and our colleagues feel that it's our responsibility to … safeguard the wellbeing of those in our communities with food as our tool,” she says. “When you think about how many American kids are hungry… I can't imagine a more worthy cause to ride my bicycle for.”

For many participants, the camaraderie of this event make those 300 hilly miles even more worthwhile. Mahin finds it very powerful to ride with a group of people who care about the cause and each other. “The generosity and camaraderie of this ride, with people helping each other… it’s a beautiful thing.” He also praises Shore and the work of No Kid Hungry: “What you're doing for my industry and for me and my friends, is you're changing our lives. You're making these culinary professionals care about each other.” Cycling was key to Mahin’s personal transformation from hard-living daredevil to dedicated health nut. Both guests feel we have only scratched the surface of the potential for chefs cycling together as an inspirational, community-building fundraiser to help feed more hungry kids in America.

Listen to their conversation about health, friendship and uniting to end child hunger.

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How does racism in America impact how children of color envision their futures? How can we help kids succeed despite this racism? Two impactful guests tell us about their efforts to empower, guide and support kids in their communities. MacArthur "Genius Award" winner and nonprofit founder Joe Marshall and Oakland chef Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen, Food Network) discuss racism with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore on this episode of Add Passion and Stir. “Being black in America is you start in this hole,” says Marshall, “and you’re continually climbing out of this hole.” Chef Holland agrees, “What I find most painful about racism is when people have low expectations of you. They don’t expect you to be intelligent or ambitious or resourceful… That judgement is a big hurdle.”

Yet both of these community activists are fighting racism and ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations.’ In 1987, Marshall started the Omega Boys Club, which is now a nationally recognized youth development and violence prevention organization in San Francisco. The Alive & Free violence prevention program aims to keep kids just that: safe and out of prison. “A lot of times [kids] are just doing stuff to survive, except they don’t really learn how to survive – they learn how to die or go to prison,” he says. Holland makes an impact by hiring and nurturing staff from the low-income neighborhood near her restaurant, and being a role model for these young people. “There are not many models out there for them, particularly in my profession. I’m trying to create opportunities… so they can see, ‘she can do it and she looks like me.’”

Listen to hear how these leaders are helping kids refuse to fail when the system is stacked against them. How are you doing your part?

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How much do you think about how you contribute to society? Is it important for you to help others and give back? Two social sector advocates whose deep values and empathy guide their own career paths discuss the importance of doing good. Dan Cardinali, CEO of Independent Sector, and Bren Herrera, Cuban private chef and lifestylist, chat about food, culture, personal transformations, and their deep passion for helping others with Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength, on this episode of Add Passion and Stir.

Cardinali, a champion for the social sector (nonprofit and philanthropic institutions), reveals its vastness: 1.5 million institutions that employ 1 in 10 Americans and serve or engage 1 in 4. However, that impact is often overlooked and there is a misperception that the sector is weaker and less effective than the private sector. “Nonprofit and philanthropic institutions are critically important to America because they often are working on those issues that neither government nor market strategies are able to address,” says Cardinali. “In many regards, they are much more effective than either government or business can be, yet they are often looked at as being subpar to those two institutions.”

This perceived second-class standing of social sector organizations also affects the individuals who choose to work there who are, according to Cardinali, “extraordinarily heroic folks willing to suppress their own desires for wealth and praise in service of bettering the community.” Based on her own transformational path from law to life coaching, Herrera agrees. “Our purpose in life is not to make money… it’s to do the best that we can to make our global community a better place,” she believes. However, she also poses the question of how to attract bright young people into the sector. Shore feels it is critical for young people to know the social sector is a viable option. Speaking about Share Our Strength, he says, “Having the best people in the country feel like, ‘this is a place I want to be,’ becomes very important to our ability to succeed.” Cardinali reinforces this point. “Many social sector institutions take on the most difficult and intractable problems in the world – and you want the… best talent addressing the most difficult challenges.”

All three participants agree that food can play an important role in improving our society. Herrera shares stories of how food can heal and connect people from her chef experience and world travels. Cardinali describes how Independent Sector is using dinners to bring people with disparate views together to bridge differences and find common ground. Shore comments that food sits in the intersection of so many social issues.

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Can one event feed hungry kids, promote fitness AND celebrate amazing food? This special edition of Add Passion and Stir was taped at Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride in Santa Rosa, CA for No Kid Hungry. Chef Jason Roberts and Bon Appétit Deputy Editor Andrew Knowlton joined Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore and Share Our Strength National Director of Chef and Culinary Relations Jenny Dirksen to discuss the true meaning of the ride. As one of the founders of Chefs Cycle, Jason says “We’re changing lives. We are creating futures and opportunities… We are not just connecting [kids] to food but also to opportunity.” Andrew underscores the importance of the mission in these uncertain times. “It doesn’t matter which [political] party you believe in – everything [Share Our Strength] is doing is for the kids.”

Both citizen activist guests have been involved with No Kid Hungry for many years: Bon Appétit was the first major sponsor of Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry and opened a lot of important doors for the organization through their advertisers, and Chef Jason led the first ever Chefs Cycle - only a small handful of riders - four years ago.

In addition to raising money for hungry kids, Chefs Cycle also represents an intersection of food and fitness for many of the chefs and culinary professionals who participate. “Chefs are trading bad habits for Lycra and clip-in shoes,” says Chef Jason. Jenny Dirksen has seen chefs of all fitness levels get involved, from hardcore chef cyclists to “everyone who said, ‘this is a good opportunity for me to push myself farther than I’ve gone before.’”

Jenny also compliments the entire group of more than 230 riders. “Our chefs and culinary professionals are an amazing community of generous, warm, intelligent, giving people, and you put them on a ride together and these bonds form.” These bonds will support further iterations of Chefs Cycle, such as multiple rides, longer rides, and even a cross-country ride. Listen to hear all about it and tell us what you think!

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More than 200 chefs from across the country were joined by Grammy Award-winning international rock star P!nk in a fundraising bike ride that raised $2 million for the No Kid Hungry campaign from Share Our Strength. In an exclusive interview for Add Passion and Stir, the podcast from Share Our Strength hosted by brother and sister co-founders Billy and Debbie Shore, singer-songwriter P!nk, says, “What’s awesome about Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry is that [they] really make it doable to help… [They] make it really fun. [They] make where people’s dollars go make sense. It’s really easy to understand, and it’s universal – it’s kids!”

This special edition of Add Passion and Stir was taped at Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride in Santa Rosa, CA. Alecia Moore Hart – better known as P!nk – sat down with fellow riders husband Carey Hart, chef Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill), chef Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Café, St. Louis) and Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss the importance of getting involved on issues that matter. Despite a grueling few days in the saddle, all the riders were inspired by the event and their collective power to make a difference for hungry kids. They are grateful for organizations that help them do this. “Everybody wants to help,” says P!nk, “but the problem is sometimes that nobody knows what to do.”

James Beard award winners Milliken and Nashan have been involved with No Kid Hungry for many years, and the mission and camaraderie keeps them engaged. “When I was poor and just starting out and I had no way of really helping, I was introduced to Share Our Strength,” says Milliken. “I realized: I can do what I do! I can cook! It was so powerful. I thought, this is what I want to dedicate my time to.” Carey Hart, a retired motocross racer, now shares his time and talent with Good Ride Rally, a motorcycle rally that benefits veterans.

Each guest also speaks about their memories of taking civic action with their parents when they were young and how this instilled important values of giving back and taking care of those less fortunate. They stress the importance of involving kids in helping other kids. “Every parent wants their kid to be a global citizen. Every parent wants their kid to be aware of what’s going on in the world. Every kid wants to help another kid – it’s innate, it’s who they are,” says P!nk.

Share Our Strength founder Debbie Shore shares the next big idea for Chefs Cycle: a cross-country relay bike ride involving thousands of chefs and raising tens of millions of dollars for fighting child hunger. Add Passion and Stir host and Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore – who also rode all 300 miles through the hills of Santa Rosa – gives insight into how he advises his staff. “Our biggest challenge is failure of imagination. Incremental steps are not enough – to really solve the problems we need to solve, we need to think big and take big risks.”

What do YOU think? How can we think big about solving child hunger in America? Can we rally thousands of chefs to bike across the country and ride on Washington, DC? How can we better engage kids in helping other kids who are struggling with hunger? We would love to hear your thoughts. Listen to the episode, provide comments in iTunes, comment on our Facebook page, tweet at us on Twitter, or go to our website (nokidhungry.org). We can’t wait to be inspired by you!

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Sometimes disrupters come from unexpected places. In order to solve our major social problems like poverty, hunger and education, we need innovation and new thinking to solve them on a grand scale. Would you expect a bankrupt nonprofit to have the answer? Or a restaurant that opens in an unpopular part of town?

In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two provocative thinkers share their creative strategies with host Billy Shore. Entrepreneur, author and activist Dan Pallotta is known for the creation of multi-day charitable events like the Breast Cancer 3-Day walks and AIDS Rides, as well as his iconic TED talk on how the way we think about charity is dead wrong. Boston restauranteur Garrett Harker restaurateur makes a practice of using his restaurants to activate up-and-coming neighborhoods and empower staff members to engage in this community revitalization. Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength and an innovator himself, asks Pallotta and Harker about how they use their respective platforms to disrupt norms. Pallotta uses his platform as a founder of nonprofits to voice his disagreement with society’s expectations of them. “Nonprofits should not be hamstrung,” he says, by things like an inability to spend money on fundraising or donors’ requirements of low overhead. “Nonprofits have the capacity to radically disrupt the world in a short period of time… We need to unleash their power to address massive social problems.” Harker uses the unlikely platform of placing a restaurant in a transitional neighborhood to transform a community and develop staff members. “We realized how galvanizing it can be to put together a staff and make it part of your mission not just to take care of people, but to help elevate a community and a neighborhood.” With restaurants such as Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square and Branch Line in Watertown, his twin goals of striving to be the best and positively impacting the neighborhood have led to many successes.

Listen to the episode and marvel that the answers to our biggest social problems may not come from the usual suspects, and get inspired to disrupt norms yourself.

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Our country is leaving behind the families who have made the biggest sacrifices for our safety and freedom. How are military and veteran families among our most vulnerable and struggling with poverty and hunger? How can we justify raising defense spending without protecting and strengthening services like SNAP (food stamps) that help them?

In this timely and poignant episode of Add Passion and Stir, an expert on military hunger and a chef who is also an Army veteran have a serious conversation with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore. All are concerned about President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). Josh Protas is the Vice President of Public Policy at MAZON, a national advocacy organization based on Jewish values that is working to end hunger in the United States and Israel, where he coordinates and implements the advocacy agenda. Alex Samayoa is executive chef at Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, DC, and served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves.

While the U.S. Department of Defense does not track hunger among military families or veterans, organizations like food banks report that a growing number of current military and veteran families are seeking food assistance. Josh and Alex discuss the injustice of how those who make great personal sacrifices in service to our country are struggling to provide their families regular meals on their military pay or veteran benefits. “These are really hidden issues,” says Josh, partly due to the pride among military families and veterans. “There is an ethic in the military about not leaving anybody behind, but the truth is we are leaving them behind.” Host Billy Shore adds, “Aren’t these the folks we owe the most to, and we’re giving them the least!?” Chef Alex shares personal anecdotes about people with whom he served in the Army who cannot afford basic necessities. When asked how we treat our returned vets, Alex responds “Everybody says they care, but nobody’s really there. … I have friends who can’t get earpieces from the V.A. [Veterans Administration], and they can only hear out of one ear.”

How can you help correct this injustice to our service men and women? First, the Military Hunger Prevention Act introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove barriers to SNAP eligibility for currently serving military families. You can read more at mazon.org/take-action, and contact your Congressional representatives to tell them to protect military families. Second, you can get involved with local organizations that serve military families and veterans and help show them that we value their service and refuse to leave them behind. Listen to the episode for inspiration and ideas on how to help those who risk their lives to protect us.

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Could we end the debate about health care by focusing on healthy food? What will it take for our country to address the root of our health problems? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two experts who improve health from very different perspectives chat with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore about the role of healthy lifestyle choices on our nation’s health. Randy Oostra is President and CEO of Promedica, a mission-driven, not-for-profit, nationally distinguished health care system serving northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Promedica has initiatives outside health care settings that aim to keep people from needing health care services. Rocco DiSpirito is a James Beard award winning chef, health advocate, coach and author of 12 cookbooks that illustrate how healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive. Rocco has personally coached, advised and fed thousands of clients who want to lose weight and be healthy. Both experts believe that prevention is more effective that treatment, and both have seen many examples of this in their own work. Randy talks about a grocery store Promedica worked to build in a food desert which offers everything from job training to financial counseling to healthy cooking classes and is changing lives in that community. Rocco speaks of the “mass awakening” among consumers and chefs regarding healthier food and lifestyles, and how food providers have had to be responsive to these needs. “Most people want to make a good choice,” he says. “It’s up to us to provide them with an endless amount of good choices.” Randy feels that our nation’s health care model is fundamentally wrong and that we need to take a decades-long view when we consider how to fix it. “We have been tweaking a model that doesn’t work. …If we could go back and change [how Medicare and Medicaid were structured in the 1960s], we would shift the balance toward primary care and mental health services… The fact that we don’t provide a base level of coverage to every American doesn’t make any sense.” He believes we need to start now to change the system into what we want it to be in 20 years. However, this will continue to be tremendously difficult due to the many diverse stakeholders in the economic engine of our health care system. How do your own choices impact your health? Listen to how these leaders have seen people change their lives and their futures by making healthier choices.

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What can we do when politicians prefer polarizing rhetoric to concrete action? We can roll up our sleeves and serve those who need help. Meaningful service can be the antidote to disappointing political paralysis. In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two longtime leaders in service, Michael Brown of City Year and Boston chef Jason Santos (Buttermilk and Bourbon) talk with host and Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about why it is so important to ‘turn on your social justice nerve’ and ‘flex your service muscle.’ Michael founded City Year in 1988 in Boston and grew it to a national service program of 3,100 18-25 year olds improving academic performance in high-poverty, poor performing schools in 28 cities. “Service is part of the American spirit… it is at the very heart of how we perceive ourselves as a nation,“ he declares. Jason began volunteering with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign more than 20 years ago as a very young chef, and since then has taught many Cooking Matters courses, been inducted into the Cooking Matters Hall of Fame, and raised an impressive amount of money for the campaign. “I have to do my part to help fix something that, in 2017, still blows me away that it’s such a problem,” he says. Listen to how these leaders use service to cut through politics and give themselves and others the gratifying experience of serving others.

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What do we do with politicians that ‘bob their heads up and down’ and then do not support children? How do we hold them accountable for the promises they make? Mark Shriver, President of the Save The Children Action Network, and DC legend Chef Geoff join host Billy Shore on a powerful episode of Add Passion and Stir to discuss how to get politicians to pay attention to social justice for kids. Mark says that “democracy is a contact sport” and urges powerful groups to put pressure on politicians because only big campaign contributors seem to get their voices heard – and kids don’t make campaign contributions. “Politicians tell you that kids are the most important resource in the world… but when push comes to shove, kids don’t get the investments they deserve,” he states. Chef Geoff shares how direct impact work being done in communities and real life stories of community members can convince political leaders that action is needed. Listen for their advice on how you can stop special interests from controlling political decisions, and how you can help give a voice to the voiceless.

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Can you harness entrepreneurial skills like openness, flexibility and “prepared awareness” to get involved in issues that matter to you? Jean Case of The Case Foundation and entrepreneur Trenor Williams, founder & CEO at Socially Determined, believe we can. On this week’s episode of Add Passion and Stir, Jean and Trenor chat with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about how individuals, start-up businesses and even government are innovating to find creative ways to solve big problems. Jean shares lessons from her experience with tech giant AOL in its early stages and as a philanthropist funding innovation and cross-sector collaboration. Trenor explains how he used his medical training as a catalyst for creating companies that creatively solve health care problems, including Clinovations and Socially Determined. They have found that entrepreneurs come from all walks of life, and often people who have lived problems are in the best position to solve them. What problems have you faced in your life and what will be your role in creating solutions? Listen to hear how you can use your unique strengths to get involved.

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We have everything we need to feed every mouth in America, but we do not. Why is policy in the way of a healthy, equitable food system? Add Passion and Stir guests Eric Kessler of Arabella Advisors and Victor Albisu of Del Campo restaurant in DC sit down with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore to explain what we can do to change this unacceptable inequality in our vast American food system. “Food access is one of the simplest things to fix in this country, and yet it’s become one of the most intractable political issues,” says Eric. Policymakers are lagging behind what Americans want and need. So what can each of us do? We can vote both with ballots AND with our wallets. The choices you make, the foods you buy, the restaurants you patronize all make our food system better or worse and lead to overall systems change. Listen to hear about how to vote with your wallet.

Listen and Learn:

· Why the U.S. food system is a social justice issue

· How to address food waste

· How to effect systems change

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry: (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Arabella Advisors (arabellaadvisors.com): Arabella is a team of passionate problem solvers dedicated to helping clients make a difference on the issues that matter most to them.

· James Beard Foundation Chefs Boot Camp (jamesbeard.org/education/bootcamp): The Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change provides an opportunity for civically and politically minded chefs to become more effective leaders for food-system change.

· Del Campo (delcampodc.com): The lifestyle and food culture celebrated on an estancia, a large South American vineyard estate, is the inspiration for Victor Albisu’s flagship restaurant in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The airy, 174-seat agrarian space is home to a meat-driven, wine-centric menu that is a product of Albisu’s Latin American roots and travels throughout Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.

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Americans everywhere are asking whether values like equality and upward mobility are being advanced or set back by President Trump’s proposed budget cuts. In this time of heated debate, Add Passion and Stir guests Chef Matt Jennings of Townsman in Boston and William Foster of The Bridgespan Group share their expertise on how we can activate the sense of urgency many of us feel right now. These two leaders chat with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about how they and others are leading change right now during this ‘scary time’ for social justice. Chef Matt notes that “A fire has been lit… and it’s burning hotter and brighter than ever before,” and William believes that “threats and challenges can bring out greatness.” Chef Matt describes the work he is doing connecting with his restaurant guests, the broader community, and his own employees to ensure everyone has access to food and a fair standard of living. William outlines how he is helping both philanthropists and social justice nonprofits see the opportunities to drive transformative change in this unsettled time. Be inspired by how these industries are rallying to make it better.

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In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, three chefs from three U.S. cities share the revelations they had while bearing witness to hunger and poverty in Washington, DC and Northern Virginia. Chefs John Currence (Oxford, MS - City Grocery, Big Bad Breakfast), Sarah Grueneberg (Chicago, IL - Monteverde) and Matt McClure (Bentonville, AR – The Hive) sit down with Share Our Strength Associate Director of Field Management Jillien Meier and founder and CEO Billy Shore to reflect on the tour they had of schools and communities seeing the effects of hunger and poverty. These social activist chefs explain why they feel a responsibility to use their platforms to help feed needy families in their communities – and their voices to demand better systems and policies for all families. Spending time with the No Kid Hungry Virginia Campaign further inspired them to keep driving change in their communities and beyond. As John Currence says, “We have the tools. We know that the money is there to do it. There’s absolutely no reason in the world that we should have a kid in this country that goes without breakfast in the morning.” Hear about the motivation they get from their “giving profession” and learn how you too can bear witness and make change.

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In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award winning chef Nora Pouillon and Martha’s Table President and CEO Patty Stonesifer have an inspiring conversation with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore about being the change you want to see in the world. Both women identified problems that needed solving – Nora saw America’s unhealthful food supply and Patty saw low income families not having adequate opportunity – and tackled these problems with their own skills, experience and conviction. Nora took her European perspective and desire to feed her family and restaurant guests healthful food and opened America’s first certified organic restaurant. Patty leveraged her expertise as a technology executive (Microsoft and Amazon) and foundation builder (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) to better serve families and communities in Washington, DC with education and food. These pioneering women use both their heads and their hearts to make change in their communities. Hear their uplifting, energizing stories and get motivated to become a better social activist.

Listen and Learn: • The health benefits of organic food • How corporate skills can be an advantage in social activism • How to persevere through adversity to achieve transformative change

Resources and Mentions: • No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. • Martha’s Table • James Beard Foundation

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In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, sociologist, 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 have a powerful and timely discussion with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore about poverty in America. Kathy and Tom illustrate how our current systems - political, social, economic, geographic - keep poor people from succeeding. They argue for more equity in our social programs and a more dignified way of serving the poor. Kathy shares stunning statistics and touching anecdotes of the impoverished families with whom she has worked. When she asked one young girl what it was like to be hungry, her response was, "It feels like you want to be dead, because it’s peaceful when you’re dead." Tom believes, "We can't talk about fixing the food system unless we talk about money and politics... subsidies... institutional racism... the history of farming. … If we move the needle just a tad on food equity, it means we're moving a lot of other needles along the way." In Kathy’s work, she found 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.” Hear their recommendations on what we can do as individuals and as a nation to improve these dire circumstances for the poor in America.

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In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Washington, DC Chef Tim Ma (Kyirisan) and Nurse-Family Partnership’s CEO Roxane White talk with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore and Share Our Strength's Managing Director of Development, Elliott Gaskins about why they “give back.” Chef Tim and Roxane share their poignant personal stories of how their pasts shaped the people they are today and inspired them to work with vulnerable populations like low-income pregnant women, ex-offenders and homeless people. Roxane describes that nutrition is critical for expectant mothers and young babies, saying “If we lose the first two years of brain development, we never recover.” Listen to their discussion on how we can help one another survive poverty, hunger and bad circumstances.

Listen and Learn:

· How prenatal nutrition and health has lifelong implications, even regarding criminal activity

· How social programs can create a sense of pride and not shame

· How everyone can give back, whatever their personal circumstances

Resources and Mentions:

· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org) Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

· Nurse-Family Partnership (www.nursefamilypartnership.org, 844-NFP-MOMS), a maternal and early childhood health program, fosters long-term success for first-time moms, their babies and society.

· DC Central Kitchen (dccentralkitchen.org) develops innovative social ventures that break the cycle of hunger and poverty.

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In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Boston chef Ming Tsai (Blue Ginger, Blue Dragon) and Boston Medical Center pediatrician Debbie Frank talk with Share Our Strength founder Billy Shore about the vulnerability of children to food insecurity. Chef Ming and Dr. Frank bring different perspectives to the concept of food as medicine, particularly for children and families with few resources. Listen to their timely conversation about the profound health and economic consequences of poor nutrition and the responsibility we all share to protect children in our communities.

Listen and Learn • The invisible effects of malnutrition - developmental, behavioral and medical impacts on kids • The serious and even fatal consequences of policy decisions that cut social programs like Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps), and threaten the stability of immigrants • What chefs and individuals can do to help families who are food insecure

Resources and Mentions • No Kid Hungry nokidhungry.org Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. • The Grow Clinic for Children bmc.org/programs/grow-clinic is an outpatient subspecialty clinic at Boston Medical Center that provides comprehensive specialty medical, nutritional, developmental and social services and dietary assistance to children from the Greater Boston area. • Family Reach family reach.org A lifeline for families fighting cancer. Family Reach is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides assistance to families with a child or parent afflicted with cancer. • Lovin’ Spoonfuls lovinspoonfulsinc.org Lovin’ Spoonfuls is a 501c3, non-profit organization that is legitim

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James Beard Award-Winner Mary Sue Milliken and former hedge fund trader-turned-social entrepreneur Sam Polk lay out their plans to revolutionize and repair the the production, processing, transport, and consumption of food to bring about food justice: Available, Affordable, Nutritious Food for All.

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Former Timberland CEO Jeff Swartz and James Beard Award-winner Tony Maws discuss the material and spiritual benefit of running successful businesses when you are willing to look beyond the profit motive for decision making.

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Chopped Star Chef Marc Murphy cites the heroic efforts of public school cafeteria workers on the front lines fighting childhood hunger in America. Murphy says, "These are Lunch Chefs...Taking very little to feed a lot of kids and try to keep them healthy."

Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg shares the startling news that hungry people in America number greater than the entire populations of California and New Hampshire combined: 42 Million Men, Women, and Children.

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Top Chef star and DC restaurateur Spike Mendelsohn and George Jones, CEO of Bread for the City, discuss strengthening public services in an effort to create jobs & feed families. In their respective roles as the head of one of the most successful safety nets for the poor people of DC and as the chairman of the DC Food Policy Council, George and Spike see how resourceful families struggle to feed, clothe, and shelter a family with three children for less than $18 per day.

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Top Chef Contestant and James Beard Nominee Karen Aukinowicz from Myers+Chang and Eric Schwarz Co-founder and CEO of the College for Social Innovation talk about fear as a motivating factor for positive change instead of a destabilizing inhibitor.

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Seamus Mullen, the owner and chef of Tertulia in New York City and Sam Kass the former Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy at the White House discuss with Billy Shore the amazing restorative powers of good food.

Sam Kass traces the origin of Michelle Obama's food policy with the health challenges being faced by the First Daughters Malia and Sasha. "It's not about health food, it's about good food."

Seamus Mullen was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease and was near death from the side effects of the medicine he was taking. Today, he has completely eliminated the disease from his body thanks to changes in his diet. "If a tree has brown leaves, you don't paint the leaves green. You look at the root system and the soil."

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Michael Friedberg Co-Founder of Yellowbelly Chicken and Gabriel Guillaume President and CEO of Live Well Colorado answer the question: Why don't people eat well? Their answers of Taste and Access exposes the institutional barriers many poor people face when trying keep their family healthy through nutritious food.

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James Beard Award-winner Joanne Chang of (Myers + Chang; Flour Bakery) and Alan Khazei (City Year; Be the Change) were both Harvard graduates who abandoned the careers for which their studies trained them to follow their passion. Discover how the road to success can be found by following your heart and caring deeply for the well-being of others.

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Seth Goldman, the president and CEO of Honest Tea and former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry talk about Activist Entrepreneurship: For-profit companies that can radically improve the health and well-being of children in the United States. Shockingly, the United States ranks dead last among industrialized nations on the issue of children's health according to the global non-profit organization Save The Children.

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Jeff Mills, the founder and CEO of Genuine Foods, and John "Bridge" Bridgeland, the founder and CEO of Civic, discuss the role of the civilian in bringing about radical positive change in government and institutions. As the Director of Food and Nutrition Services for the schools of the District of Columbia, Jeff replaced a broken system that fed 50,000 children pizza and strawberry milk every day. In its place, he created a daily menu of freshly cooked nutritious meals. Bridge demonstrates the Return on Investment when prioritizing the health and well-being of children,

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Top Chef Finalist and James Beard Award-winner Bryan Voltaggio teamed with children's advocate Anne Sheridan, the former Executive Director of the Governor's Office for Children in Maryland, to convince the State Legislature to feed hungry children a nutritious breakfast in the classroom. That effort provided the blueprint for helping children across the country to access the food and fuel the need to survive and thrive as more and more states adopt the School Breakfast Program.

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Food and Wine's #1 New Chef of 2015, Bryce Shuman, and Irwin Redlener, the founder and president of the Children's Health Fund explore the dynamic of food, hunger, health, and brain development. Children in poverty who grow up hungry have less brain volume and fewer synapses than their more fortunate counterparts.

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Mark Shriver, President of the Save The Children Action Network, and DC legend Chef Geoff, talk about the need to invest in children and "The Bobblehead Syndrome" "The children are our future," is a common refrain from politicians until it's time allocate budgets. Billy, Mark, and Geoff examine how we can voice to the voiceless.

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James Beard Award-Winner Traci De Jardins and California Secretary of Health and Human Services Diana Dooley discuss the future of food and the need for certain Genetically Modified Organisms to produce sustainable foods for our growing populations, including plant-based substitutes for meat from Impossible Foods.

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States around the country are leaving hundreds of millions of dollars designated to feed hungry children on the table and in some cases, they don't even know the funding exists. Chef Andy Husbands points out that the wasted money not only feeds children it pays local farmers. Judy Ann Bigby, director of the Harvard Medical School Center of Excellence in Women's Health, connects the lack of healthy food in the food deserts of low-income neighborhoods with the disturbing rise in diabetes and cancer.

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James Beard Award-winning chef Jody Adams of Porto--and formerly of Rialto-- talks with Billy and and Paul Grogan, the President of the Boston Foundation, about the secret cure for childhood hunger that is achievable today in our nation's schools.

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Award-winning chef Bill Telepan fights for fresh food in the New York City public schools while working with Eric Goldstein, CEO of The New York City Public School's Office of School Support Services, who feeds 1 Million kids per day.

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Legendary Boston chef and restaurateur Gordon Hamersley and Gerald Chertavian, the founder and CEO of Year Up, a non-profit organization dedicated to closing the Opportunity Divide, discuss concrete solutions to enable low-income young adults to reach their full potential.

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Two San Francisco Bay-area legends unite to demonstrate how gang violence is an epidemic that can be both prevented and cured. Tanya Holland is the Executive Chef and Owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland and Joe Marshall is the MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and founder of Alive and Free.

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Top Chef contestant Kwame Onwuachi chronicles his journey from the South Bronx, to Nigeria, and his rise to chef and owner of The Shaw Bijou in Washington, D.C. Joined by John Gomperts, president and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance, the duo uncovers the importance of second chances in in determining your success in life.

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Legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer and child psychologist Emily Chinitz determine that early childhood intervention creates healthy children and leads to a measurable return on investment.

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Superstar Chef Jose Andres and the United Nations Foundation president and CEO Kathy Calvin have teamed up to end an epidemic of death and disease caused by a little known threat to the lives of women and children around the world.

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Add Passion and Stir: Big Chefs, Big Ideas is the weekly Share Our Strength podcast about people who are changing the world. Each week, Billy Shore, the founder and chairman of Share Our Strength, has a conversation with a guest from the culinary world (Shake Shack CEO Danny Meyer, Superstar Chef Jose Andres) and an industry thought leader (United Nations Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin, America's Promise Alliance CEO John Gomperts) creating a thought-provoking discussion. As much as food has become a source of pleasure and celebration, it’s amazing how food is central to our health, environment, educational achievement, sustainability, and overall quality of life.

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