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Iconic singer-songwriter and environmental activist Carole King talks music, activism, and the power of a meaningful gesture. King shares how her more than 50 years of activism has helped her see how interconnected issues like the environment, immigration, education and hunger truly are. “We are all connected as humans, whatever our party is, and we are all connected on the issues because the issu...

Is a lie still a lie if enough people believe it? ‘Good Morning America’ co-anchor and former White House Communications Director George Stephanopoulos discusses the media and how politics and public opinion have shifted over the past 20 years and during the pandemic. “A crisis like this hits everyone. It’s not people who haven’t been working, it’s not people who have been irresponsible, it’s not...

Can we shift a historic stigma towards people living in poverty? Princeton poverty researcher and author Kathryn Edin describes welfare reforms in the 1990s that were based on fear that recipients would become dependent on the system and how changes to certain tax credits in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief American Rescue Plan will give more Americans support to move out of poverty. “We have turned...

How do we continue to care for each other as the pandemic draws to a close? Congressman Mike Thompson from California’s 5th District and influential Sacramento chef Patrick Mulvaney discuss how the pandemic has affected the food and wine industries. Congressmen Thompson and Mulvaney partnered with funders, including No Kid Hungry , Sacramento County, and community members to deliver more than 250,...

How do we dismantle systemic obstacles to equality in our education systems? Former Education Trust President and CEO and former US Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. shares his journey in education and his belief that equity in education is core to equity in society: “The education system is inequitable at every level and gives the least to the kids who need the most. If our education system...

Can you build a successful and fun brand around serious social justice topics? Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream discuss feeding hungry kids, police reform and how businesses can make a difference on social issues. “Passing legislation that is going to reduce child poverty in the US by 40% is huge – it’s pretty much the best news I’ve heard in quite a long time,” says G...

When is philanthropic giving the most meaningful? Bestselling author John Grisham and Share Our Strength Board member Renee Grisham discuss their partnership, philanthropy and why they have made child hunger and police reform their central philanthropic causes. “There is plenty of food in this country… but the framework isn’t always there to get the food on the table for these hungry kids. You hav...

What will it take for Americans to trust each other again? Long-time New York Times columnist Frank Bruni talks about his days as a restaurant critic, his goals as an op-ed columnist and the current state of civic discourse in America. “Based on which [cable news channel] you’ve gone to, you can have an understanding of events and reality that is almost diametrically opposed to somebody else’s. Th...

How can we make the culinary industry more inclusive and accessible? How can we work together to overcome gender and racial discrimination in the industry? These questions are important to best-selling cookbook author and food writer Julia Turshen. In this episode, Turshen shares her approach to cookbook writing and how she achieves her accessible style, including Simply Julia released in March 20...

Will women ever be proportionately represented in Congress? Political journalist, novelist and cookbook author Jennifer Steinhauer discusses her book The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress which examines the remarkable group of women elected to the 116th Congress in 2018. This insightful, hopeful conversation about women's political power with one of America's most astute pol...

“How can I help? That was the question I kept asking myself,” says former teen idol and acclaimed television writer and producer Shaun Cassidy. Cassidy shares how he is helping during COVID-19 by supporting No Kid Hungry and the Santa Ynez community through his wine label, My First Crush. “COVID came along and I saw a lot of our friends… farmers, growers and winemakers suddenly really hurting. The...

How are so many of our most important issues tied to what we eat? What is the relationship between food and issues like climate change? James Beard Award-winning food writer Mark Bittman talks about food, climate change, social justice and his new book, Animal, Vegetable, Junk . “You can’t fix any justice issues, environmental issues, nutritional issues without fixing food. Food is at the center o...

What’s the key to building a purpose-driven career? Author, business school professor and social change pioneer Bill Novelli discusses doing well by doing good and his new book, Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World. “Tomorrow’s leaders are in our classrooms today… They want a purpose as well as a paycheck,” says Novelli. “Wherever you are in your career, whatever organizatio...

How will restaurants survive the economic collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? Award-winning Washington DC chef Kwame Onwuachi (formerly of Kith/Kin) talks about how COVID 19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of the restaurant industry and the fundamental changes needed for independent restaurants to survive. “I would hope we don’t just go back to the same normal, that we create a new normal th...

How has the role of the media changed over the last four years? CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper discusses journalism, politics and his work in support of causes like No Kid Hungry and military veterans. “We’re in a war over facts. Right now, two of the biggest stories are about that - people who deny COVID and the seriousness of it and people who deny the election results...

In an excerpt from Conversations on Food Justice , a collaboration between Share Our Strength and the Aspen Institute’s Food and Society Program, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-1) moderates the discussion with former Obama Administration Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King Jr. and former Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD-4) on systemic racism in food policy. “Systemic racism operates to creat...

Why is it so important to restore Native American autonomy? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof and Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health Director Allison Barlow talk about poverty, education and the struggle for social justice in Native American communities. “The Bureau of Indian Education schools only have a 53% high school graduation rate! We are failing them way before...

How can science inspire better cooking? James Beard award-winning food writer J. Kenji López-Alt explains what drew him to explore the science behind cooking, find his voice as a writer and write two New York Times bestselling books. “Some people think cooking with science is the opposite of cooking with soul. I think it’s the opposite. The more you understand the science and technique behind it,...

How do each of us measure success? Bigger Bolder Baking chef and host Gemma Stafford talks about hosting an online Bake-A-Thon for No Kid Hungry and how her views on success have changed during the pandemic. “We’ve been very fortunate with Bigger Bolder Baking and we wanted to give back… It was really important for me to be a part of something that is going to make such a big difference,” she says...

In an excerpt from Conversations on Food Justice , a collaboration between Share Our Strength and the Aspen Institute’s Food and Society Program, human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader and former political prisoner Ericka Huggins and FoodLab Detroit Executive Director Devita Davison share their thoughts on the history of the food justice movement and the systemic inequalities...

How do you get kids from juvenile detention on track for success? Chef and Café Momentum Executive Director Chad Houser talks about building a new model for juvenile justice that develops career and life skills to overcome recidivism and reincarceration. “The juvenile justice industry calls them ‘throw-away’ youth. We need to be pushing as hard as we can to change that narrative and eradicate that...

How do you raise $1M to feed hungry kids? Celebrity trainer, choreographer and Broadway dancer Isaac Calpito explains how he amplified support for childhood hunger during the pandemic by developing a daily workout on Instagram TV and encouraging his followers to donate to No Kid Hungry. “So many wonderful things are happening because people are showing up, not only for their bodies and their minds...

How do we overcome our country’s systemic racism? Bakers Against Racism co-founder and Washington DC executive pastry chef Paola Velez (Maydān, Compass Rose) joins Billy Shore and Share Our Strength Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Pamela Taylor to talk about finding the courage to speak out against racism and other forms of injustice. “We didn’t think this was going to go viral. We laun...

How do we create an antidote to the politics of division? UnidosUS Deputy Vice President Clarissa Martinez-de-Castro joins Billy Shore to discuss immigration policies, Latino civic engagement and turning out the vote. “If you look at surveys and opinion research for the last ten years, the majority of the American people actually want to see a functional immigration system. There is a vocal and ve...

When you wake up in the morning, can you say you’re proud of what you built? James Beard award-winning Minneapolis chef Ann Kim joins Billy Shore to talk about her immigrant experience, approach to food, and observations about her community in the wake of the George Floyd murder. “It is our job to make changes, educate and learn. We can’t make decisions rooted in fear,” she says. “People scream wh...