Progress No One Thought Possible Until It Happened

             The podcast episode we released today will convince you that there is not a school in the country that can’t be cooking healthy, nutritious, fresh and locally sourced food right in its own school kitchen.  That’s what Laura Benavidez and Jill Shah set out to prove in a pilot program that is delighting low income kids who now enjoy school meals.

Laura is the executive director of food service for Boston Public School and previously worked with us on breakfast after the bell in the L.A. Unified School District where she served for 10 years. Jill created the Shah Family Foundation with her husband after he co-founded and took public Wayfair, the home furnishing on-line retailer.  Share Our Strength Boston chefs Andy Husbands and Ken Oringer shared their strength by helping to design and supply the school kitchens.  Their story is a great example of everyone having the capacity to share their strength and make a difference on behalf of kids.

            You can listen at on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/add-passion-and-stir/id1164624510?mt=2 or     http://addpassionandstir.com/youve-got-to-measure-the-hum-why-kids-in-boston-love-school-meals/  

At 12 Below Zero, A New Year's Day Like No Other

           We awoke this New Year’s Day at Goose Rocks Beach in Maine to a temperature of -12 degrees (before calculating wind chill). I choose to take it as an omen that metrics once thought unimaginable are ultimately attainable. 

 

From my window facing the ocean I see something I’ve never seen before.  The clouds are not in the clear blue sky but instead sitting on top of the water. The extreme temperature differential between Maine’s always cold ocean and the -12 degree air has created a steaming layer of clouds where air and water meet.   In front of the clouds, in the water close to shore swim five fat black ducks, as leisurely as if in the Bahamas. I envy their serenity in the face of extreme conditions and consider adding the aspiration to my new year’s resolutions. But serenity rarely accelerates change.

            2018 promises challenging conditions for our work. Pundits speculate whether the political earthquake of 2016 will be sustained or turn out instead to have been an aberration that gets reversed and ends one party control of Congress and White House. For all of the prognosticating no one can be certain. Every prediction is sewn tightly to the caveat “of course, there’s never really been a time like this so who knows.”

            What does it all mean for Share Our Strength and the children we serve? At least two things: First, preoccupation with a divisive midterm election campaign makes it unlikely our political leaders will get much done. Progress addressing basic human needs will depend on organizations like ours working with partners on the ground to protect existing services and better connect those most vulnerable to them.  State governments will continue to be critical to our strategy.

Second, in 2017 we staked a new claim that went beyond increasing percentages of kids participating in school meals. For the first time we asserted childhood hunger has been significantly reduced, with one-third fewer children experiencing hunger today.  (See our excellent year-end thank-you video ow.ly/1c9n30huXqo )

It’s a bold claim but not a surprising one.  When you combine 3 million more kids getting school breakfast, with unemployment down to 4.1 percent, and USDA data showing record low levels of the “very low food security” that represents missed meals, we know that many kids, while still poor, and possibly even food insecure, at least are not hungry. 

Still, this bold claim represents a significant departure for us. In addition to emphasizing the harmful consequences of kids not getting the nutrition they need, we are also helping our stakeholders better assess where we are in relationship to the finish line.  There is still a long way to go, but not nearly as long as before. The closer we get the more relentless we will strive to reach it, while also planning more comprehensively for what comes next once we do. In this way 2018 finds Share Our Strength on a new trajectory. Welcome back. Happy New Year. Stay warm. But not too serene.

Great News For Kids at Year End

Yesterday New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that a comprehensive 5 point plan to end childhood hunger would be part of his 2018 State of the State package. The Governor’s “No Student Goes Hungry Program” includes requiring breakfast after the bell for schools in which 70% of the students qualify for free and reduced price meals.  The state will provide $7 million in capital funds for technical assistance and equipment needed to expand breakfast in 1400 schools.  See https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-unveils-15th-proposal-2018-state-state-launch-comprehensive-no-student-goes

Statewide advocacy wins like this are at the core of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign strategy. They reinforce that concrete, dramatic and measurable progress is possible, even in the context of the national political environment characterized by division and dysfunction.  

            Another leader whose accomplishments have been extraordinary is Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe. This recent Washington Post retrospective on her work includes her efforts on childhood hunger.  https://goo.gl/4oPK9c

           Have a great holiday weekend and New Year.  Thanks as always for your support and friendship, and for all it makes possible.

With Social Safety Net At Risk, Nonprofits Have an Obligation to Speak Out Loud and Clear

Politico’s report on anticipated efforts to make deep cuts in the social safety net is must reading for all those who advocate on behalf of the vulnerable and voiceless.  https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/11/trump-welfare-reform-safety-net-288623  Major social progress is at risk.  Childhood hunger for example has been reduced by 30%, to its lowest level in decades, but proposals to make it harder to access SNAP food stamp benefits could reverse that impressive progress.

At a minimum every social services nonprofit should be preparing and sharing an analysis of the impact that such actions would have on those they serve.  The contemplated legislative and regulatory changes are so sweeping that they could undo the hard-earned gains of many great nonprofits and social entrepreneurs.

Although opposition to such changes can be expected and will be essential. But it will not, by itself, be enough.  Advocates have to do more than say what they are against. They must also put forth a compelling vision of what they are for – and of how investments in children and families will improve our national health, education, and strengthen our economy.  

While nonprofit tax status precludes partisan activity, nothing precludes nonprofits from educating the public and policymakers alike as to how so-called “reforms” will impact those they serve.  Nonprofits that remain silent on these issues fail to meet their full responsibility.

Putting People Ahead of Party

The op-ed by two Republican and two Democratic governors in this morning’s New York Times is a great example of the difference between paralyzed policymaking in Washington D.C. and the ability of governors to rise above partisan dysfunction to get things done. ow.ly/jZTP30h5WSX  It is particularly important when on behalf of low-income kids who are the most vulnerable and voiceless of us all.  

The Children’s Health Insurance Program the governors are calling on Congress to extend is a life-saving source of health coverage for nearly 9 million poor children.  That it was allowed to expire in the first place is an inexplicable and shameful new low in the annals of Congressional inaction.

 

For the past decade, Share Our Strength has focused its energies on working with governors to enroll kids in federal nutrition programs like school breakfast and the summer meals. And governors of both parties, liberals, conservatives and moderates, in states like Virginia, Arkansas, Nevada, Montana, Maryland, Missouri and others have risen to the occasion and put children first.  The results have been phenomenal contributing to a nearly 30 percent reduction in childhood hunger nationwide. 

Members of Congress are often preoccupied with institutional imperatives of attaining or maintaining their majority and the power and perks that come with it. They look to party leaders before deciding on a course of action.  But governors, while of course sensitive to political considerations, don’t reflexively put the needs of their party ahead of the needs of the citizens they represent.  Instead, they have an executive’s reflex for getting things done, rather than just scoring political points.  

If you want to find where American democracy still works, not perfectly but surprisingly often and well, look away from the nation’s capital and toward governors and other state and local leaders. Their progress is measurable, their leadership inspiring.

News To Add Joy To Your Thanksgiving

            Wishing all of our friends and supporters the best for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, with gratitude for the historic achievements your support has made possible.

Childhood hunger is down by one-third since we began the No Kid Hungry campaign – more kids are getting the school meals they need than ever before – and we are well on our way to achieving our ambitious goal. At a time when Americans are desperate for evidence that our problems can be solved, we have forged the bipartisan public-private partnerships to solve this one. But still, too many kids in this country are struggling with hunger. I’m so grateful that we can count on you to help get us across the finish line.

            I hope you will take some joy this holiday season, as I do, from the words of 4th grade teacher Angela Homan who said of our signature program: “Breakfast After the Bell changed the environment of my classroom. My students begin their days ready to learn which is a dream come true for me.”  Or of single mom Heidi Alphen who said of our nutrition education efforts: “Cooking Matters gave me my confidence back when I was at the lowest point in my life. It encouraged me to go back to work in the food industry, which in turn provided myself and my family with so many opportunities. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for making a difference in my life.”

             Wishing you and your family all the best. Thanks again and have a happy and healthy holiday.

School Meals As Delicious as Thanksgiving

           Wishing you the best for the Thanksgiving holiday, and in anticipation of the delicious food we will all enjoy, sharing this hopeful experience regarding delicious school meals.

Earlier this month, Rosemary and I drove 15 minutes from our home in Boston’s Back Bay to the P J Kennedy Elementary School in East Boston near Logan Airport. Traditionally a community of immigrants – once home to John Kennedy’s paternal grandfather Patrick -  East Boston is now 50 percent Latin American, and the school 85%.

Jill Shah, a friend and neighbor of ours whose family foundation renovated kitchens in three East Boston Schools to pilot improved school meals for some of Boston’s poorest children, met us to give us a tour. Until recently, Boston school meals were made on Long Island and sent here from New York to be thawed and eaten. Jill’s vision was more old-fashioned – source healthy food locally and actually cook it for the kids.

            The school was built in 1933 and last renovated more than 50 years ago. All 302 K thru 5^th grade students qualify for free or reduced price meals. Lunch is served in the basement where the new kitchen was designed by chefs Andy Husbands and Ken Oringer.  School chef Santiago, in chef whites and a Red Sox baseball cap, could not be prouder of the kitchen’s new combination oven/steamer, and especially the counter of freshly cooked food. From the minute we walked in, the wonderful smell made us hungry.

            Around noon, kids line up and point to what they’d like. A lunch lady arranges their choices on a tray.  Today it is broccoli, carrots, chicken, mac and cheese, apples and bananas. The kids sit at picnic style tables and eat quietly. “Notice the zen-like hum” says Jill. “Last year it was total chaos in here.”  Jill plans to expand the program to 30 Boston schools next year.  They will be renovated and retrofit over the summer.

            A first grade girl asks my name. Hers is Melissa and she is with her friend Kristin.  I ask what they like best. To my surprise it’s the broccoli and red peppers.  I walk over to the trash barrel on wheels and find almost no food tossed or wasted. Only empty cardboard trays.

The city estimated the renovation would cost $1 million.  The Shah Foundation did it for $65,000.  They threw in a new coat of paint. “This really didn’t cost much money” she says. “It was more about not taking no for an answer. There were tons of obstacles. A sink that didn’t meet regulations. The lack of a grease trap. I could go on and on. Some people stop at ‘no’. We didn’t. The idea was not just serve better meals but create a food culture here.”

Boston has the money for fresh and healthy school meals. What its students didn’t have was a voice. The Shah Family Foundation provided one. Good food matters. Share Our Strength chefs are as passionate about quality as access. Kids don’t just deserve food, they deserve healthy and delicious food. If the Shaw’s experiment in Boston catches on, our trip to the future maybe closer than we think.

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday. Come back determined not to take no for an answer.