Add Passion and Stir

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

In this reprise episode, we join James Beard-award winning Chef Ann Kim and James Beard-award winning chef and author Joanne Lee Molinaro, The Korean Vegan, for conversations about identity, connection, and growing up as the children of immigrants. Both Ann Kim and Joanne Lee Molinaro share a Korean heritage and have found ways, through their various platforms to shine a light on their culture and the voices of others who share the immigrant experience. The central thread in both their stories: showing love through food. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From the Webb telescope to the COVID vaccine, every day the nearly 3 million civil servants in our federal government make our democracy work through their extraordinary--often unrecognized--work. Max Stier and the Partnership for Public Service are committed to changing that. Since 2001, the Partnership has trained leaders, addressed talent gaps, like the fact that only 7% of the federal workforce is under the age of 30, supported presidential transitions, increased federal employee engagement, and promoted innovation and collaboration. In short, they’re taking on the reality that when many Americans “think about the federal government, they think about bickering.” And they’re doing it by celebrating the people who share their strength to make it all happen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

National poverty, child welfare and queer rights advocate and best-selling author David Ambroz sits down with Billy Shore to talk about the importance of truly caring for all children. Ambroz’ memoir, “A Place Called Home,” details his experiences with poverty, hunger, and the foster care system which led him to found FosterMore.org. Ambroz says, “Folks are tired, and I profoundly understand that. But there are 8.4 million children in poverty in this country today, and we can't be tired for them.” Be inspired by his incredible story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this encore episode that originally aired in July, 2020. Kellogg's Ready To Eat Cereal General Manager, Doug VanDeVelde and Brown Sugar Kitchen Executive Chef Tanya Holland share their insights on food insecurity and the difficult early days of the pandemic. Both Kellogg's and Chef Holland were driven to help feed people in need. VanDeVelde says that Kellogg's felt an obligation to help feed the nation. We are so grateful for our friends at Kellogg's and the unbelievable support they've shown us the past 10 years. From now through May 9th, Kelloggs is donating $5 to our No Kid Hungry Campaign with each Kellogg's breakfast for all promotion receipts uploaded up to a maximum donation of $250,000. Go to breakfast for all.com for more details. How can big consumer brands help make the world a better place? Brown Sugar Kitchen Executive Chef Tanya Holland and Kellogg Ready to Eat Cereal General Manager Doug VanDeVelde share their insights on food insecurity, giving back to the community and the effects of COVID-19. “When the COVID pandemic first started, there was a certain sense of obligation in our company to help secure the food supply… There was a feeling that we had an obligation to help feed the nation,” recounts VanDeVelde. “I’m making an effort to thank everyone who comes in and supports us because it’s a choice they make and a risk they take. Probably 7 times out of 10, they respond, ‘Thank you for what you do for the community,’” says Holland. “As I started to go through my career at Kellogg’s, it became more and more clear to me that brands need to have a purpose and need to be able to do good in the world,” says VanDeVelde, who recently helped No Kid Hungry raise $700K. “This country has so much bounty, it’s just shameful if we can’t do the basics of seeing that children are fed,” says Holland about her work as a No Kid Hungry ambassador. “What a difference it makes in the performance and attendance of the kids.” Listen to these important voices of two people who continue to impact their communities. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Since 1993, child poverty has fallen 60% – according to a landmark 2022 report from Child Trends. And while the magnitude of this decline in child poverty is unequaled in the history of poverty measurement in the U.S., as Jason DeParle who covers poverty for the New York Times reminds us, “even if child poverty falls almost 60% as we found that it did, there's still 8 million poor children in the country.” Billy Shore sits down with the Times Jason DeParle and Child Trends Renee Ryberg who co-lead the study to explore it findings, what is shows about the impact of critical social safety nets like the Earned Income Credit and the school lunch program, and the work ahead to address racial disparities that persist in child poverty. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Could kelp be the new corn? In this Add Passion and Stir episode, Briana Warner, CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms, and Debbie Gagnon, President and Co-owner of Red's Eats (Wiscasett, ME), discuss the importance of seaweed to the future of our food system. “There are choices that we can be making about our everyday eating habits that can make the planet actually better,” says Warner, who built the biggest kelp company in the US. Gagnon is excited to be an early adopter of this healthy and sustainable product. “I wanted to try [the kelp burger] because I'll be honest: I wanted it to be delicious. And oh man, it's delicious. I'm so proud of it!,” she raves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Service is in Michael McAfee’s DNA. From an early career in the military to roles in the Federal Government and his current leadership at PolicyLink, McAfee has dedicated his life to realizing a just and fair society – a society designed for all. To achieve this, McAfee centers equity and focuses on seeing others humanity, especially those with differing opinions or backgrounds. The results are federal programs like Promised Neighborhoods, which works to ensure children in distressed neighborhoods are supported from cradle to career, and PolicyLink’s ongoing efforts to “change the nature and logic of our governing institutions so that they could work for everyone.” McAfee shares his journey to this work in this episode of Add Passion and Stir. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special episode, Share Our Strength co-founder Billy Shore speaks with the organization’s brand-new CEO, Anne Filipic. She explains how her career led her to this position and the depth of her passion about solving childhood hunger. “What does it mean to end childhood hunger today, tomorrow, and forever? … Getting meals to kids who are hungry now, … supporting families to make sure that they have the resources they need for the meals tomorrow, and ultimately, how do we get to the root causes of hunger?” She also shares her vision for broadening the movement. “When we think about these big, thorny issues of our time, what does it look like for people to feel like, ‘I'm on this team. I'm part of solving this issue.’” Get a glimpse into the future of Share Our Strength and the No Kid Hungry Campaign. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why is it so important to nourish ourselves and each other? On this very special episode, we revisit our conversation with actor and musician Jeff Bridges and his daughter, Mother’s Empowerment Coach Isabelle Bridges. The father-daughter duo talk about the importance of nourishing relationships and fighting child hunger. “As you get older, you realize that the value you have and what’s really precious in life are these family relationships,” Jeff says about the inspiration and process of their children’s book, ‘Daddy Daughter Day.’ “I remember reading the Daddy Daughter Day story to you Dad, and you saying, with sparkly eyes, ‘we should turn this into a book, and I will illustrate it,’” recalls Isabelle. “When we have our children, we want to nourish them, and then we go unnourished ourselves. My mission is to help the moms feel nourished on the inside so they have a wellspring to give them,” she continues about her work helping mothers take care of their own needs. Jeff is the official spokesperson of the No Kid Hungry campaign. “[Child hunger] an issue that’s got a lot of hope to it. We can really end childhood hunger here in our country,” he believes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this very special episode, we re-visit our conversation with award-winning Chez Panisse chef and cookbook author Alice Waters who discusses the value of real, regenerative food for our children and our society as a whole. “Once you love nature, you can't make the wrong decision about anything. You don't want to do things that are really destroying the planet. You want to take care of her. Until we feel that way, we will never be able to make the right decisions,” she says. Waters founded Edible Schoolyard, an experiential learning program at a Berkeley middle school that deepens students’ relationship with food, gardening and cooking skills, and capacity for critical examination of the food system, more than 25 years ago. “The kitchen classroom became a place to teach world history. It's a way to reach a person through all their senses and those are pathways into our minds,” states Waters. “We decided to put our money behind our values to educate the next generation to change the world. I so believe that education is the deep place where we can make systemic change.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For renowned Indian Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor it’s simple: whatever he has today is thanks to the power of sharing. A household name in India with his own channel FoodFood, Chef Sanjeev is a Padma Shri Awardee, recipient of the Indian Government’s ‘Best Chef of India’ award, and many more accolades. But for him, it’s all about giving back to society; most notably, his work with Akshaya Patra, the world’s largest NGO-run mid-day meal program that serves lunch to more than 1.7 million children in India. In this Add Passion and Stir episode, we connect with Chef Kapoor to learn more about Akshaya Patra, how he found his way to food, and why he thinks the strength of Indian cuisine is in its complexity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gina Reardon owns a professional catering business in Kansas City. ImpulseSV streams video games on Twitch and YouTube to well over a million followers. Both have used their unique talents to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to feed hungry kids. Impulse devotes streams to encourage his supporters to donate to No Kid Hungry. “I have three young ones of my own, and just the idea that there are children just like them out in the world that aren't able to get any food and go to bed starving, it just really breaks my heart,” he shares. “It's my love language, and speaking that language on behalf of this organization has rewarded me in ways that I can't even begin to enumerate,” says Reardon, who uses bake sales, dinners, and other culinary events to support No Kid Hungry. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When is a cupcake more than a cupcake? When it’s helping to end food insecurity. For Michael C. Platt and Sahana Vij, two young bakers who’ve turned their love of baking into platforms to raise awareness and funds to help end hunger, baking has been a way to connect with their community. Add Passion and Stir host, Billy Shore sat down with these two Gen Z leaders to talk about how they found baking, how they’re sharing their strength to end childhood hunger through their entrepreneurial efforts and cookbooks, and how why they both believe that the key to making a difference is leaning into what you’re passionate about. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brother Luck, celebrity chef and author featured on “Chopped,” “Top Chef,” and Beat Bobby Flay, discusses how he uses his experience with mental health in the restaurant industry to help others. “I've realized over the years, as I've gone through the healing process, that I have to speak up and be vulnerable and live through my pain because somebody else is living that story right now.” He voices concern for his colleagues in the restaurant industry. “Mental health is something we've ignored for so many years, especially in the restaurant industry. We've been built on bravado and pride and ego… we didn't know how to label it. We didn't know how to discuss it. We would never discuss it.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mavis-Jay Sanders, chef and activist, discusses what motivates her to use her culinary career to fight food injustice in Black and low-income communities. “When Eric Garner got murdered and there were protests in the streets, I was working in a fine dining restaurant… I couldn't straddle that fence anymore; I couldn't be in a place where these issues didn't matter.” She decided to take her skills to more accessible restaurants and nonprofit organizations. “I do love a little razzle dazzle, but I also wanna make sure that the people who are eating [my food] feel cared for. I wanna make sure that every single person that I come in contact with has the ability to eat.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ending childhood hunger in America takes more than a change in policy, it requires individuals and organizations in communities across the country working together and sharing their strength. In this final episode of Add Passion and Stir’s series exploring why food is the most important school supply, we hear from individuals committed to ending hunger in their community. From Chef Lorena Garcia and her nonprofit Big Chef, Little Chef that works in schools to help kids and families build better relationships with food to participants in No Kid Hungry’s Youth Ambassador, join us to hear inspiring stories from those working to end childhood hunger and learn how you can get involved. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunger is a reality, but it is also a solvable problem. While millions of kids face hunger everyday, we can make sure every kid gets the food they need to grow up healthy, happy, and strong. The second episode in Add Passion and Stir’s series on why food is the most important school supply connects with changemakers from federal, state, and local government and community organizations that are working to solve childhood hunger in America. Their solution: making sure kids get feed while they are at school. The episode features: See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Across America, kids are headed back to school, but nearly 12 million kids in America face hunger. Children need three meals a day to grow up happy, healthy, and strong but for many hunger is a daily reality. In this first episode of a three-part series exploring why food is the most important school supply, you’ll hear directly from those affected by hunger and those witnessing hunger in the classroom. You’ll also begin to understand the opportunity we have to SOLVE the problem of childhood hunger. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, we are revisiting our Child Tax Credit series. We look at how organizations are using technology to make sure eligible families are receiving the credit. With more than 36 million additional children — a majority of whom are Black and Latino — now eligible and the credit being distributed as a monthly payment instead of an annual lump sum many changes were required to ensure success of the program. We spoke with Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America, who launched the GetCTC.org portal to make it easier for families to claim their credit and Jimmy Chen, CEO of Propel, the organization behind the Providers app, which allows participants to manage a variety of government benefits, including the CTC, in one place about how they are helping to the credit reach all eligible families. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.