Add Passion And Stir

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

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

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 abo

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

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 profess

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 prev

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 stra

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 lo

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 impo

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

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 ser

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

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 cours

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

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 lif

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 ·

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

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 r

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 com

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