The pain and suffering children in poverty endure, is a choice.  NOT their choice, not their parents’ choice, but a policy choice made by politicians in Washington DC. 

In this very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we will examine the plight of the millions of American children who live in poverty and struggle with hunger.  We provide a 360o view of the issues from many perspectives.  Including those of 

• Author and Child Advocate David Ambroz;
• Congressman Jim McGovern;
• Second Harvest Food Bank executive director Rhonda Chaffin;
• New York Times’ senior writer Jason DePerle; 
• Research scientist Dr. Renee Ryberg;
• Harvard Professor Dr. Jack Shonkoff;
• Pediatrician Dr. Kimberly Montez; and
• American Academy of Pediatrics CEO Mark DelMonte  

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In this very special episode of Add Passion and Stir, we are going to talk about challenges and solutions in the fight for equity in America. We found three incredibly compelling stories that address the solvable problem of inequity in all its forms in the United States. We will hear from Bonton Farms CEO Daron Babcock, Investigative Journalist Aldore Collier, and Dr. Michael McAfee, President and CEO of Policy Link; three visionaries who saw past obstacles that others found too daunting and are now sharing their strength to create z more equitable America for all of its citizens

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In this special encore presentation, we re-visit our conversation with CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp, who shares her perspectives on the current events in the Middle East, her own mental health challenges, and ending child hunger.

“Stand up for your friends, because they're hurting right now, and they need every voice they need, every hug they need, every text or email or call you can make,” she says about the war between Israel and Hamas.

“Problems like hunger and poverty are not going to be solved at an international or even a federal level, they're going be solved at a community level.” These issues are interconnected.

Listen in to learn how to help kids here and abroad.

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Jack Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, talks with us about the science around trauma and toxic stress in child development.

“I never talk about toxic stress or excessive stress activation without also talking about adaptation and resilience and the fact that you can build resilience against that,” he says. “There's huge variability and sensitivity to these kinds of traumas… the early experiences shift the odds, but they don't determine exactly what's going to happen.”

Shonkoff also shares broader insights about how science can be helpful to the public.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp shares her perspectives on the current events in the Middle East, her own mental health challenges, and ending child hunger.

“Stand up for your friends, because they're hurting right now, and they need every voice they need, every hug they need, every text or email or call you can make,” she says about the war between Israel and Hamas.

“Problems like hunger and poverty are not going to be solved at an international or even a federal level, they're going be solved at a community level.” These issues are interconnected.

Listen in to learn how to help kids here and abroad.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dan Pallotta talks with us about the conversation he ignited with his 2013 TED Talk about the way nonprofit organizations are funded. “We want the nonprofit sector to solve huge problems. We want the nonprofit sector to be able to dream gigantic dreams,” he says.

However, there are still many problems with how nonprofits are evaluated and how people and other entities choose to fund them. “I would say that that conversation is where gay marriage was in… about 1945. We have a long way to go.”

Pallotta’s new feature-length documentary UnCharitable, featuring stories from figures like Edward Norton and Darren Walker, exposes the dark side of philanthropy with a call to action for a radical new way of giving.

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Aldore Collier, former editor at Ebony and Jet magazines, speaks with Billy and Debbie Shore about his recent expose article about the racist roots of health problems in Metcalfe Park, Milwaukee, WI. “Residents talk about being stifled by an “invisible net” that blocks advancement and makes it nearly impossible to maintain good health,” Collier wrote.

He describes the inaction by local and state governments. “It's not unique to Milwaukee, but I think the difference is they did not try to come up with solutions to replace what was lost.” However, Metcalfe Park residents are activating and Collier’s article helped bring attention to this critical situation.

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Daron Babcock, CEO of Bonton Farms located in a low-income neighborhood in South Dallas. Bonton Farms is one of the largest urban farms in the United States and its programs are addressing a variety of barriers residents face including housing, education, nutrition, and economic self-sufficiency.

“[Systemic inequity] is built on the faulty idea that there's this American dream that everybody can access and if you don't, then there's something wrong with you,” says Babcock. “My new neighbors just happened to be born into a place that had very little to offer them, and their human potential got squashed in the process… The bad news is yes, we designed that and we have to own up to it. But the good news is, we can redesign our future - it doesn't have to stay that way.”

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James Beard Award-winning food writer Mark Bittman talks about the relationship between food and critical issues like climate change, public health and social justice. “You can’t fix any justice issues, environmental issues, nutritional issues without fixing food. Food is at the center of just about everything,” claims Bittman. “It’s not going to happen from the top down. The push has to come from lots and lots of ordinary people. That push needs to be focused on food, but it also needs to focus on racial justice and gender equality and so on down the line,” he says. Join us for an important conversation with one of America’s foremost food writers about why fixing our broken food system can help solve many other critical problems we face.

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