Add Passion and Stir

Psychological Change: Bringing Dignity to Poor Communities

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 16:00:00 GMT

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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Closing the Empathy Gap

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 16:00:00 GMT

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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Make It Personal: The Names and Stories Behind the Numbers

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

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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Finding Passion: Make Every Day the Best Day

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 15:23:08 GMT

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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The Ripple Effect: Making a Difference in Someone’s Life

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

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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Maximum Impact: Changemakers in the Age of Broken Government

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

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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A Very Special Message from Jeff Bridges

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 12:00:00 GMT

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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It’s Way Past Time: Focusing Empathy to Solve Hunger

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 14:45:17 GMT

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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Purchasing Power: Harnessing Demand to Change Food Systems

Wed, 25 Oct 2017 14:58:00 GMT

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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American Cuisine at the Intersection of Food and Social Issues

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 15:08:27 GMT

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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The Role of Hospitality in Building Community

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 12:16:36 GMT

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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Real Help for Real People

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 15:58:00 GMT

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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The Real Looming Financial Crisis: Health Costs for Poor Kids

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 16:01:00 GMT

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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Poverty is the New Taboo

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 15:00:00 GMT

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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The Root Causes of Health

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 04:00:00 GMT

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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Save Them When They Are Young

Wed, 06 Sep 2017 14:50:59 GMT

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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The Miraculous Healing Power of Good Food

Wed, 30 Aug 2017 15:00:00 GMT

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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Purpose Beyond Profit: Social Justice is our Business

Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:30:00 GMT

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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Eating Our Way Out of the National Debt

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 14:48:53 GMT

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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It Changed My Life Forever: Profound Need Here and Abroad

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 14:13:54 GMT

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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IF NOT US, THEN WHO? THE WAY TO END CHILDHOOD HUNGER IN AMERICA

Wed, 02 Aug 2017 15:00:00 GMT

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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TURN GUILT INTO ACTION: TWENTY-SOMETHINGS LEADING THE CHARGE

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 15:29:32 GMT

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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THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING: HOW FOOD CHANGES THE WORLD

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 15:00:00 GMT

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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THE KEY TO AMERICA'S SUCCESS: INSPIRING SOCIAL CHANGE

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 15:00:00 GMT

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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CYCLING FOR THE CAUSE: FOOD, FRIENDS, AND FITNESS

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 15:00:00 GMT

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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GANG VIOLENCE: THE PREVENTION AND THE CURE

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 14:04:00 GMT

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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OUR TOUGHEST PROBLEMS REQUIRE OUR TOUGHEST TALENT

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 14:25:00 GMT

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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TRADING BAD HABITS FOR LYCRA: RIDING FOR NO KID HUNGRY

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:17:30 GMT

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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Rock Star P!nk Goes the Distance for America’s Hungry Kids

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 14:20:34 GMT

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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DISRUPTING TO INNOVATE: UNEXPECTED SOLUTIONS

Wed, 31 May 2017 15:31:43 GMT

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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LEFT BEHIND: MILITARY FAMILIES AND VETERANS STRUGGLE WITH HUNGER

Wed, 24 May 2017 14:14:03 GMT

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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HEALTHY FOOD OR A HOSPITAL VISIT? HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA

Wed, 17 May 2017 14:12:06 GMT

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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CUTTING THROUGH POLITICS: THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE

Wed, 10 May 2017 14:00:54 GMT

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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BOBBLEHEAD SYNDROME: HOLD POLITICIANS ACCOUNTABLE

Wed, 03 May 2017 15:00:00 GMT

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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ENTREPRENEURIAL SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 15:02:12 GMT

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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VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET TO FIX OUR BROKEN FOOD SYSTEM

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 15:09:05 GMT

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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A Fire Has Been Lit: Activating for Social Justice

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 23:53:42 GMT

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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Bearing Witness

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 13:40:45 GMT

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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Be The Change: Resist the Status Quo

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 09:21:00 GMT

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 changeResources 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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Living on $2 a Day: Poverty and Food Equity in America

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 14:00:00 GMT

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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Success Begins Early: The Power of Sacrificial Giving

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 13:00:00 GMT

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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Preventing Disaster: Babies and Public Policies

Wed, 08 Mar 2017 12:58:10 GMT

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 insecureResources 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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Fixing Our Broken Food System

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 15:37:14 GMT

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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Purpose Beyond Profit: Two Leaders Find Deeper Meaning in their Corporate Lives

Wed, 22 Feb 2017 14:15:35 GMT

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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Lunch Ladies in a Real Life Chopped Episode Everyday

Wed, 15 Feb 2017 16:46:00 GMT

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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The Connection Between Food, Income & Jobs

Wed, 08 Feb 2017 11:00:00 GMT

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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Two Showbiz Veterans Change Their Jobs to Change the World

Wed, 01 Feb 2017 15:29:45 GMT

SouperGirl Sara Polon and Amy Celep, CEO of Community Wealth Partners, left their jobs as story tellers (one a comedienne; one a news producer) to change the world. Sara is fighting to fix our food system through the creation of her locally sourced, plant-based business creating delicious, organic soups. Amy leads an organization that partners with transformational foundations and non-profits to achieve unparalleled success in improving their local communities.

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FOMO: Transforming Fear into Motivation

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 15:56:31 GMT

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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The Miraculous Healing Power of Good Food

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 10:52:00 GMT

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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Lead with Taste, Create Access

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 17:34:34 GMT

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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Two Harvard Grads Follow their Passion

Wed, 04 Jan 2017 10:23:00 GMT

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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Activist Entrepreneurship: Improving children's health through for-profit businesses.

Wed, 28 Dec 2016 15:37:31 GMT

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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Pizza and Strawberry Milk: The Appalling Lack of Nutritious Food in School Lunch Programs

Wed, 21 Dec 2016 16:10:17 GMT

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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The Blueprint for Ending Childhood Hunger in America

Wed, 14 Dec 2016 16:33:25 GMT

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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This is Your Brain on Hunger

Wed, 07 Dec 2016 17:38:44 GMT

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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Bobblehead Syndrome: Politicians' Empty Talk About Investing in Children

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 15:43:41 GMT

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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GMOs : Sustainability's Future?

Wed, 23 Nov 2016 11:31:23 GMT

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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$160 Million Dollars to Feed Hungry Children Unused

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 13:56:49 GMT

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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The Secret Cure to Childhood Hunger is in our Grasp

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 08:48:00 GMT

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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Feeding 1 Million Kids for $1 per Day

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 20:52:00 GMT

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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Battling Low Income with High Expectations and Meaningful Employment

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 16:30:00 GMT

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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Gang Violence: The Prevention and the Cure

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 20:05:01 GMT

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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From Crack House to Fine Dining

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 19:27:42 GMT

Top Chef contestant Kwame Onwuachi chronicles his journey from the mean streets of the South Bronx, to his exile to Nigeria, and his rise to chef and owner of an upscale restaurant, The Shaw Bijou. 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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The Secret Killer of Four Million Women and Children

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:30:00 GMT

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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Save Them When They Are Young

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:30:00 GMT

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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Add Passion and Stir Trailer

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 20:27:12 GMT

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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