Food First

'Ordinary doing the extraordinary' - this fits Stephen Ritz to a T. Stephen Ritz - author, educator, innovator and urban farmer is investing his one handful of life in the youth of his community. His leadership journey took him from the Bronx to the White House and back simply because he cared what kids were eating, how often they were attending school and if they were graduating.

'The Green Graffiti, an urban farming revolution, has taken Stephen and his students from their Greenhouse to the White House and from hope to the Pope.' Intrigued about the revolution? Learn more about it - Green Bronx Machine and / or read Stephen's book "The Power of a Plant."

Stephen, as well as Phil, Gerry and the rest of the food bank network believe: kids who aren't well fed, will not be well read. This makes total sense, right?!

Health is related to the quality of life and the ability to achieve from the cradle to the grave.

Did you know that Michigan is the 34th healthiest state in the U.S. and 35th in reading level? Michigan is known as the comeback state, but not in some of the fundamental areas where it matters most. The healthier a state, the higher the education level outcome - sensible and significant relationship, don't you think?

Tune in to hear from an impactful influencer, Rob Casalou, CEO of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. Rob has spent the last 28 years in health systems and his leadership originates from his character and is truly the essence of who he is. Rob, Phil and Gerry discuss the triple aim of healthcare, the priority of food in social programming and so many awesome programs that St. Joseph Mercy Health System has created!

Choice is a precious commodity; a powerful influencer, and too often, a scarcity.

Alisa Craig, Administrator for the Wellness Population and Health Management at Hurley Medical Center, does just that - she offers her clients choices. Hurley Medical Center has been taking care of patients for 110 years, but over the past year and a half, they have been working on Food FARMacy. The idea is that the patients who are food insecure could come and get medically tailored food. People who are food insecure suffer from the toxic stressors such as, not knowing where their next meal will come or having to make the choice of providing your Type 1 Diabetic with insulin or paying your electric bill - NO ONE should have to make these decisions. What do the majority of prescriptions advise you to do: take with FOOD!

"We live life moving forward, but we understand it looking backwards."

Each one of us are only given ONE handful of life - not two, not three only one. Jim Robinson, CEO of Farm Bureau Insurance Michigan has chosen to use his handful of life by creating a legacy of giving and a career of caring. The Michigan Farm Bureau is the family of companies and their foundation is solely around family.

Jim is the initial sponsor of Food for Thought and is a strong force behind moving the needle of child hunger. "You can't solve a problem if you don't think it can be solved."

Tune into hear Jim rev his engine up about the wrap-around services that Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan is a part of - it is so awesome!

Tune in this week to hear from Carl Bednarski, president of Michigan Farm Bureau, the true voice of agriculture and the family of companies. Carl shares his wide depth and knowledge of agriculture to food security - from food waste from the field to the restaurant.

Did you know that approx. 20 BILLION pounds of fruit and vegetables are left in the field / discarded every year due to labor shortages or the produce's imperfections? Imperfect produce is often referred to as Grade B or #2's. Since 1990, the Food Bank Council of Michigan has partnered with Michigan farmers to help move their fresh produce, dairy and eggs in the secondary market - in 2017, 51,170,103 pounds of #2 produce were distributed!

"Values are the stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important to a person." When doing our work, the Food Bank Council of Michigan along with our fellow food bankers, strive to honor honesty and serve our clients with integrity and respect.

Did you know that 62% of the wages are below $20? Yes, unemployment is low, but people are still really struggling to make ends meet.

Tune in to hear from Mike Larson, CEO and President of Michigan Association of United Ways discuss the influential work and partnerships they have made across the state of Michigan. MAUW is about building and supporting the local United Ways with the work they're doing at the ground level.

Patty Parker, Executive Director of Food Bank of South Central Michigan also shares about FBSCM's strong partnerships with the local United Ways in their service area.

Tune in to hear from the inspiring Joe Garcia, Executive Director of Cristo Rey Community Center. Dating all the way to back to 1968, Cristo Rey Community Center has always been based around people helping people and it being many peoples safety net organization. Cristo Rey provides so much more than a healthy and nutritious meal - they provide medical practice, counseling services and financial education. Joe said it best: "there's no prerequisites to care."

Interested in learning more about Cristo Rey Community Center - visit their website: https://www.cristoreycommunity.org/

Hunger is not bigger than we are, hunger is not better than we are, and it's beyond us to solve.

We all know about opposable thumbs. But, what about the opposable mind? Tune in to hear the thought-provoking topic of the opposable mind: using integrative thinking in order to create tension between ideas and apply that result of that tension to problems that thus far has escaped our mastery. Does food insecurity cause poverty or vice versa? Phil and Gerry delve into the chicken and the egg conversation about food insecurity and poverty.

Today marks the one year anniversary of the award winning Food for Thought show - it is the only show in the country to discuss food security in holistic manner

George Santayana said it best, "those who do not understand history are condemned to repeat it."

Tune in to hear Phil and Gerry delve into the core beliefs about hunger and discuss the data that has come along side of it. Most importantly - they discuss the 5 reasons why we believe food insecurity can be SOLVED - it's truly powerful!

It's cheaper to help people keep up than it is to have people catch up.

Vision is often described as a picture of a better tomorrow. With 2018 just beginning, resolutions are being made and new visions of tomorrow are being created with many following the mantra of 'try, learn, fail - REPEAT.' What is your vision for 2018?

Tom Nelson, CEO of No Kid Hungry, shares his vision for the nation: solve food insecurity. Tom is singing the food bank network's song that food insecurity is SOLVABLE!

Did you know that 1 in 6 children do not know where their next meal is coming from? Tom and the rest of his team at No Kid Hungry - Share our Strength are standing in the gap for children across the nation. To learn more about No Kid Hungry - visit: ttps://www.nokidhungry.org/