Add Passion And Stir

How do we improve access to school meal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic? Congressman Will Hurd (TX 23) talks to Billy Shore about the root causes of childhood hunger, working in Congress and making better use of technology to deliver federal assistance to those who need it. Hurd is well known for his bipartisan work in Washington. “The only way big things have ever been done in Washington DC is if you do them together. I’m of the opinion that… way more unites us as a country than divides us. Let’s focus on those things rather than those issues on the fringe that we may never agree on.” Shore states that two months after Congress approved billions to replace school meals, only 15% of eligible kids are getting it. “Oftentimes we have these programs that have support, but because of the inefficiencies of how we deliver that support, it takes a long time to get to the intended beneficiaries,” explains Hurd. He believes the current pandemic is showing us that we can do better. “’Recovery’ means you go b

We must also reject the illusory safety of silence. We must speak out, even though it may seem implicit in who we are. We must say out loud that every form and manifestation of racism is unacceptable. And for those who don't think that that's the business of an anti hunger organization, we must also say out loud, it's the business of all human beings. Share Our Strength Co-Founder and Chairman Billy Shore As people mobilize across the country to confront racism in all of its manifestations today, we are sharing a curated episode that revolves around our painful legacy of racism in America and how we can overcome it. Guests that include:MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Dr. Joe Marshall, Chef Tanya Holland, social justice champion Reverend Jim Wallis, thought leader and businessman Robert Lewis, Jr., Brandeis University’s Ira Jackson, and Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Faith Mitchell These leaders speak powerfully and thoughtfully about o

As COVID-19 continues to impact jobs, families and financial futures worldwide, celebrity chef, author and television personality Cat Cora joins Billy Shore to discuss how this pandemic is exposing our humanity and what the lasting impacts might be. “This is a human recalibration. We’re recalibrating the world. We are more authentic than we’ve ever been... We’re all on a level playing field, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. We needed that as a society,” she says. However, she does also urge government assistance of small restaurants and businesses. “So much support needs to go into small businesses because they really are the quilt of American hospitality. The small mom-n-pop restaurants and small businesses are what keeps America going.”Cora is involved with various efforts to help people during this difficult time, including supporting the No Kid Hungry campaign through her Chefs for Humanity organization and a new live web series. “[CORA-ntine Cuisine] is our service to the world. We’re cooking dinner

How will COVID-19 reshape the fight against hunger? Urban Institute senior fellow Elaine Waxman joins Billy Shore to share her data-driven insights on food insecurity in America during the pandemic. “SNAP is our number one line of defense for food insecurity,” she explains. “One of the persistent gaps has been that even though SNAP has been a great first line of defense for food insecurity, those benefits continue to be inadequate… The biggest thing we need is Congress to increase the maximum benefit for SNAP,” she says.Waxman also cautions about the extreme health consequences that can result from food insecurity, particularly during a pandemic. “In the U.S., we typically look at food insecurity as a social welfare problem, and it’s not. It’s a public health problem,” she remarks. “What we’ve learned from research over the years is that if you live in a food insecure household, you are more likely to experience poor health outcomes.”Listen to one of our foremost experts on food insecurity, nutrition and heal

How do you feed 1.5M of people every day? NYC Department of Sanitation commissioner and recently appointed food czar Kathryn Garcia talks to Billy Shore about leading the city’s massive and complicated hunger relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s really been the sheer scale and magnitude of how many people are in need. Not any one piece of it is necessarily difficult in and of itself, but the scale is really massive,” says Garcia. “We’re a city of incredible variation. We need to be able to deliver the right food at the right time… People want to eat the food that comes from their culture, and if it doesn’t, they may not eat what you deliver to them,” she notes. With more than 500 public schools distributing food every day, Garcia reflects on what she’s learned about school nutrition programs. “There are specific funding streams that drive the development of the programs, rather than being more kid focused. What works for [the kids] rather than what works for reimbursement?,” she asks. 

Can the current pandemic strengthen our resolve to eradicate hunger? Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot talks to Billy Shore about what she is witnessing on the frontlines of the escalating hunger crisis caused by COVID-19 and the opportunities it presents. “There are lots of opportunities in this pandemic to come out of it better than we were going into it,” she says, referring to the increased public awareness of hunger in America. “Do you really want four-mile-long lines [outside food banks] or would you prefer, as I do, to provide people with the dignity where they can go into a grocery store just like the rest of us?” she asks. Babineaux-Fontenot and Shore discuss how their organizations partner and collaborate, particularly during this pandemic. “Our short-term analysis was that over the first six months, the gap for the charitable food system for our network was $1.4 billion. ... We're making progress in closing that gap, but it's not completely closed. We're going to work with you guys

What innovations will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic? On this episode, host Billy Shore reconnects with noted DC chef Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto, Brothers and Sisters, ABC PONY, Spoken English) on helping the community. “This has been a wake-up call for me. I’ve always been wading in the water of being a public servant and [I’m] finally jumping into it,” says Bruner-Yang. He recently launched a crowdfunding plan called The Power of 10 that keeps restaurant workers employed while providing free meals to those in need.“I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life working and building up this neighborhood that we live in, and when this passes, that could all be gone… We can make a difference and leverage the resources we have just to try to keep our communities intact,” he observes. His four restaurants have had to downsize from 225 employees to about 30. “Food security issues have existed long before this pandemic - the pandemic only highlights how bad it is.” Listen to this informative discussion about one s

Where do we find optimism during the current crisis? Celebrity baker Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes, Charm City Cakes) dials in to talk to Billy Shore about his winding path to success, the effects of the coronavirus on his business and employees, and his advice for overcoming the current crisis. “The absolute 100% biggest impact is everybody needs to register to vote and vote in November,” he admonishes. “We have this terrible virus going around that’s really shut everything down, and we are rudderless. There’s nobody at the helm.” Goldman talks about temporarily adjusting his business operations to get through these tough times. “I don’t want anyone to go on unemployment or - god forbid - try to rely on the government right now,” he explains. “One of the things about people in the restaurant industry: we are resilient. We’re going to need some help, but I really believe that most of the people that are shut down right now, they’re going to be back. I have to believe that,” he says. Join us for a discu

How do poverty and racism put people at risk for COVID-19, and how do we protect those most vulnerable? On the latest episode of Add Passion & Stir, Sojourners Founder and President Jim Wallis and Billy Shore discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing the inequities in our society. “Poverty and racism are preexisting conditions that help you get the disease,” says Wallis. “We need to consider how can we redeem this time not just for immediate response, but also how will this change us going forward.” As the two discuss Wallis’ work addressing those in need within the faith community and Shore’s work feeding hungry kids and families through the No Kid Hungry campaign, these two change-makers reflect on the need for leadership – political and otherwise - now more than ever. “SNAP [the federal food stamp program] is maybe the most effective way to serve people’s immediate needs and revitalize the economy at the same time... We need politicians from both sides of the aisle to prioritize poor people,”

Can small farmers survive the COVID-19 pandemic? NYC’s Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns chef and co-owner Dan Barber joins Billy Shore to discuss how the farm-to-table movement is especially vulnerable right now. “There’s a network of farmers that we’re connected to, whether you know it or not. That network has been shattered,” laments Barber. Left without a way to generate revenue, he fears many of these small, organic farms will declare bankruptcy. “These are the farmers that I most want to protect because if they leave us, a generation of knowledge leaves us, and I don’t think they come back,” he says. Barber and Stone Barns recently started resourcED, selling food in boxes to give the 120 farmers that supply his restaurants a revenue stream. “We started resourcED in part to create a consciousness through education about the kind of people that produce our food… It’s an opportunity to build a kind of system that is more resilient,” he explains. Listen to a critical discussion about the impo

How will the COVID-19 crisis transform the restaurant industry? Dirt Candy chef and owner Amanda Cohen and host Billy Shore discuss how restaurants will survive the pandemic. Cohen says she and other chefs are struggling with reopening their restaurants after the crisis has passed. “How are we going to reopen? What am I reopening to? Who is going out? Who still has money to go out in this city? And who wants to go to a crowded restaurant?,” she asks. She also stresses that the pandemic has clearly shown that the traditional business model for restaurants does not provide enough for workers. “If our workers need charity so badly, maybe owners weren’t doing this right in the first place,” wrote Cohen in a March 26th New York Times Op-Ed. She believes that the restaurant industry needs to make some changes to support higher wages and health insurance for its workers. “If we reopen the same way as we closed, we will have literally learned nothing,” she says. Join us for this critical discussion about th

How are food pantries responding to the COVID crisis? West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) Executive Director Greg Silverman joins Billy Shore for a conversation about the impact COVID-19 is having on his work feeding New Yorkers on the street instead of in their food pantry. “Sometimes the best innovations happen when you have to make these things on the fly,” he notes. “COVID has, in a sense, pushed us forward on some of the ideas we were already hoping to do to reach more people.” The burdens are increased for both customers served by WSCAH and its staff. “It’s hard to navigate the social safety net as fraying as it is in America,” explains Silverman. “We’re also not used to having staff feel that they’re putting their lives on the line.” Listen to this important conversation with an anti-hunger activist and leader working around the clock at ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-

How do we keep feeding food insecure kids and families during a pandemic? Stacey McDaniel, Anti-Hunger Initiatives Specialist and National Spokesperson for the YMCA of the USA, joins Billy Shore to explain the adaptations and collaborations the Y has undertaken to bring meals to more kids and families than ever before. “Nothing is more fundamental than making sure children have access to healthy meals. It hits all the areas children need nutrition to grow and thrive,” says McDaniel. Before the pandemic, the Y was operating 5,200 food sites that served 570,000 kids each year. Today, those numbers have grown significantly. “We know that the demand is increasing… we're seeing just astronomical rises in numbers. We see Y's where every day the number of meals are increasing and the need is increasing,” reports McDaniel. “God bless our school nutrition workers, they have never worked so hard in their lives. I think they are so underappreciated, but they are true hunger heroes stepping up right now all across t

The tragedy and terror of coronavirus struck close to home today upon learning that Chef Floyd Cardoz died of COVID-19 in the New York area yesterday. Floyd was not only a great chef but an amazing champion of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, and so many other humanitarian causes in the United States and India. All who knew him are devastated. He leaves a lasting legacy, some of which you can hear about in his own words on a podcast we recorded last year. We are reposting it as a tribute to Floyd and the goodness he inspired in all of us.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How will the restaurant industry survive the coronavirus? Chef Jason Vincent (Giant, Chef Special) joins Billy Shore from his home quarantine in Chicago to talk about the difficult decisions he’s had to make as a restaurant owner in these challenging times. Vincent believes the current crisis is putting a magnifying glass on long-standing problems like healthcare. “It's a tough lesson to have to learn in a terrible time, but lots of stuff needs to get fixed,” he says. He decided early on to keep providing health insurance to his employees during the shutdown. Vincent is concerned the pandemic may exacerbate mental health issues in the restaurant workforce. “This is when the raw nerve gets exposed… people who don't like being alone, being made to be alone. It gets touchy real fast,” explains Vincent. A father of two young girls, he also worries about what the crisis may do to the mental state of kids. “You see the crinkles on their faces when they hear the word coronavirus on the news. You see their pause

In today’s timely episode during the COVID-19 crisis, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and Executive Director of Student Nutrition Services for the San Francisco Unified School District Jennifer LeBarre discuss the challenges for families and workers and the importance of a federal response. “This is nothing short of apocalyptic,” says Zimmern. “We are incredibly reliant on the federal government right now, at a point in time where many of us have felt a lack of leadership and a lack of empathy for the last couple years.” LeBarre explains how school meals are an essential service for over half of San Francisco public school students. “It is a day-to-day struggle,” she relays. “As this crisis continues, more and more families are going to have to rely on the national school lunch program.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can you have ‘good food for good?’ James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach joins Billy Shore to discuss the role the culinary community plays in driving positive change through food. “Whether it’s celebrity or agency, [chefs] are trusted in a way that is unparalleled, and they literally can help shape public taste and opinion,” says Reichenbach. “I am so impressed by this community. There are so many calls on their time, but the generosity of spirit I see day in and day out is phenomenal,” she continues. Reichenbach discusses in more depth some of the important issues facing the restaurant industry and the James Beard Foundation, including the #MeToo movement and gender equality. “There’s been a day of reckoning and I don’t see us going back from that… Culturally there’s been a good shift, but actually seeing that shift translate into systemic, structural change remains to be seen,” she cautions.    Listen in as two leaders of influential food organizations talk about using the p

What are the traits that make a great chef? DC’s new Maialino Mare restaurant Executive Chef Rose Noel joins Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about what it takes to succeed as a chef and a leader. “I’m cooking because I love cooking, so there is not really another option for me,” says Noel. “You don’t fall into this career by mistake because it’s not an easy thing to do… If you don’t love it, you don’t last long,” she continues. Noel, a chef of Haitian descent described by Danny Meyer as a ‘quiet force,’ has broken barriers in an industry where women of color continue to be underrepresented and thinks more could be done to attract young people from minority communities. “You have to go into the high schools so people know that this is a real career that anyone can do. They have to see that it’s possible and see the path to get there,” she explains. Enjoy this conversation with a young chef as she reflects on her influences, responsibilities and what drives her success.See Privacy Policy at https://ar

Is wheat the key to a healthy food system? One Mighty Mill co-founder Jon Olinto talks to Billy Shore about the history of wheat and the impacts freshly-milled and sustainably-sourced wheat can have on our health, agricultural systems and communities. “Everybody wants healthy local food systems. The true cornerstone of that is going to center around mills because wheat and flour have infiltrated nearly everything we eat,” says Olinto. Olinto wanted to ensure that community revitalization was part of One Mighty Mill’s mission. Located in downtown Lynn, MA, it serves as healthy community resource as well as an economic engine. “You know you can’t fix everything at once. But when you start, if you hardwire some of this impact that you know you want to have, it creates a pathway for you to stay true to why you started,” Olinto explains. Join us for this fascinating conversation with an entrepreneur who is helping to make people, communities and agricultural systems healthier. See Privacy Policy at

On October 30, 2019, Share Our Strength held its first ever No Kid Hungry Leadership Summit. Activists, philanthropists, teachers, chefs and other thought leaders gathered to collaborate and share best practices in the fight to end childhood hunger. This special episode of Add Passion and Stir features some of the highlights from that day. “It is just a symptom that children are hungry in this country… and the truth of the matter is that the real issue is poverty.” -George Jones, CEO of Bread for the City “If you want to lead, you have to follow. You have to follow great principles.” - John Miller, President and CEO of Denny’s Corporation“We have to find a way to connect this abundance of agriculture that we have with the children that need it the most. And that fuels the economy.” - Dorothy McAuliffe, Former first lady of Virginia “As the mother of a school teacher, it is really important that we are there for our education system because that's the best way we can look to the future.” - Renee