Food First

YOU can make the different in the power of one, but WE can make an impact! This week provides a breath of fresh air from the strong forces behind the Farm Bureau Insurance Michigan Agent Charitable Fund. The Agent Charitable Fund started organically and has really evolved and became successful because of the collective effort across the state. These agents are a serious group of people who are com...

'Together we are not simply adding, but we are multiplying our influence to build the momentum and insight necessary to move the hunger needle across our state.' As Phil often says, one is too small of a number to multiply, and the work of creating food security cannot be done by one person. Tune in to hear from Dave Hodgkins, Government Relations Director of American Heart Association Mid-Michiga...

'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 Graff...

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,...

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...

"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 i...

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 shortage...

"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 fro...

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 e...

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 fo...

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...

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 in...

Did you know that MSU Extension has existed for 103 years?! Tune in to hear how Jeff Dwyer, Director of Michigan State University Extension is bringing new life and leadership to MSU Extension! Jeff, Phil and Gerry discuss so many awesome topics of MSU Extension's impactful work: partnerships throughout the state, mental / behavioral health outreach, and being the outreach extensions arm of MSU. I...

Food for Thought: Apathy, benign acceptance and unbelief are 3 of the most stall-work challenges we face in creating positive change. Tune in to hear from the influential Ron Hendrick, Dean of Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Ron discusses the value of impact that the Food @ MSU http://food.msu.edu/ is creating across the state of MI, the new "At Our Table" e...

This week's show is one of the BEST yet! Tune in to hear from Cindy Estrada, VP and Director of UAW-GM - she discusses the cyclical problems that manufacturer workers face with passion and intellect. Manufacturer workers are putting in a full day’s work, but can't put food on the table for their families due to wages and healthcare. Did you know that 600,000 manufacturer workers are making $9.60 o...

Tune in this week to hear from the remarkable Carrie Calvert, Managing Director of Tax Policy and Commodities on behalf of Feeding America. Carrie discusses the impact of both the Farm and Tax Bill. If the Tax Bill is passed, there will be a 13 billion dollar drop in giving to charities, which in turn will drastically affect the economic impact of the people we're serving. Solving hunger is cheape...

Did you know that 10 out of the 38 million acres of Michigan's land are farmed? Tune in this week to hear from Scott Piggott, CEO of Michigan Farm Bureau. Scott discusses the impact of farming and agriculture has on the state of MI as well as their mobile science labs. With their mobile science labs, MI Farm Bureau has reached 7500 students - this is an awesome partnership with the teachers and sc...

Can we talk? Our system traps the people who are striving to survive and have a vision for their future. How do we structure the benefits to reward work? Tune in to hear from the oh-so-talented Markell Miller, Director of Community Food Programs of Food Gatherers. Food Gatherers has provided 6.5 million pounds of food to the Washtenaw community this year! Markell discusses their innovative program...

Can we talk? Our system traps the people who are striving to survive and have a vision for their future. How do we structure the benefits to reward work? Tune in to hear from the oh-so-talented Markell Miller, Director of Community Food Programs of Food Gatherers. Food Gatherers has provided 6.5 million pounds of food to the Washtenaw community this year! Markell discusses their innovative program...

Can we talk? Our system traps the people who are striving to survive and have a vision for their future. How do we structure the benefits to reward work? Tune in to hear from the oh-so-talented Markell Miller, Director of Community Food Programs of Food Gatherers. Food Gatherers has provided 6.5 million pounds of food to the Washtenaw community this year! Markell discusses their innovative program...

Can we talk? Our system traps the people who are striving to survive and have a vision for their future. How do we structure the benefits to reward work? Tune in to hear from the oh-so-talented Markell Miller, Director of Community Food Programs of Food Gatherers. Food Gatherers has provided 6.5 million pounds of food to the Washtenaw community this year! Markell discusses their innovative program...

Can we talk? Our system traps the people who are striving to survive and have a vision for their future. How do we structure the benefits to reward work? Tune in to hear from the oh-so-talented Markell Miller, Director of Community Food Programs of Food Gatherers. Food Gatherers has provided 6.5 million pounds of food to the Washtenaw community this year! Markell discusses their innovative program...

FOOD FIRST, not second, and certainly not third. "When we say put 'food first', we're not just using flowery words - we're actually putting a whole lot of substance underneath that to understand the food chain." - Gerry Brisson The Paul W. Smith Show discusses how you only have one problem if you're hungry. Ken Estelle, President and CEO of Feeding America West Michigan discusses the IQF Project....

FOOD FIRST, not second, and certainly not third. "When we say put 'food first', we're not just using flowery words - we're actually putting a whole lot of substance underneath that to understand the food chain." - Gerry Brisson The Paul W. Smith Show discusses how you only have one problem if you're hungry. Ken Estelle, President and CEO of Feeding America West Michigan discusses the IQF Project....

FOOD FIRST, not second, and certainly not third. "When we say put 'food first', we're not just using flowery words - we're actually putting a whole lot of substance underneath that to understand the food chain." - Gerry Brisson The Paul W. Smith Show discusses how you only have one problem if you're hungry. Ken Estelle, President and CEO of Feeding America West Michigan discusses the IQF Project....