Hi Everyone,

The pandemic has turned my life upside down and I am embracing it. My job as the “Farm to School Coordinator” for Glen Cove Public School came to a screeching halt as the lunch program became a brown paper bag pick up service, and the food service director needed to be home with her three kids. At the same time, our family business, which I used to be involved with years ago, also came to a screeching halt, and I was needed to help re-imagine our future. Well, a year has gone by and I am now fully immersed in Jaroff Studio, our custom architectural glass and metal work business that has brought me back to my roots as an artist. It is very exciting to merge my passion for art and design, with my desire to make things that are more sustainable, and environmentally friendly. The biggest challenge, is keeping my hands in the dirt, the creative forces flowing, the radio show going, and delicious plant based food cooking, while hunkering down in the studio. A few more hours in the day would be helpful, but of course not possible! The challenge is real, but as John Lennon said “Life is What Happens When Your Busy Making Other Plans”. I just continue to be grateful for the love in my life and my spiritual roots that taught me to “Be here Now and Go with the Flow.” They are the mantras I live by.

Katie Martin, the Executive Director of the Foodshare Institute For Hunger Research & Solutions Joins Bhavani on the Progressive Radio Network!

My guest this week is Katie Martin. Katie is the Executive Director of the Foodshare Institute For Hunger Research & Solutions. She has over 20 years of experience developing and evaluating creative solutions to hunger. In her new book, Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries, Katie focuses on the connection between hunger and health, and identifying the root causes of food insecurity. Katie has a long track record of building collaborations with local and national anti-hunger organizations. She led the team performing the first rigorous evaluation of a food pantry program in Hartford, CT. Katie used what she learned from that project and has collaborated with Foodshare and Urban Alliance to create the “More Than Food” framework. The goal of the framework is to build capacity within food pantries to address the underlying causes of hunger. Several food pantries nationwide are replicating the framework. Katie also helped develop a new stoplight nutrition system called SWAP (Supporting Wellness at Pantries) to promote healthy food in food banks and food pantries.
Katie is recognized as a national leader on food security issues, and has presented her research at dozens of regional and national conferences. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Science & Policy from Tufts University.

I hope you can join us on Thursday for a great conversation and a deep dive into the root causes of hunger and food insecurity in this country.

My radio show, iEat Green with Bhavani on the Progressive Radio Network is live, every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST.  To tune in to the live show, just navigate to PRN.fm and listen in! Or, if you prefer, listen on the phone by calling 712-775-6850.

If you miss our live show please listen on iTunes by downloading the Podcast App.

If you want to call in during the show with any questions for me or my guest, the call-in number is 888-874-4888. If you are listening to the podcast after the live broadcast, you can still ask me a question by leaving me a voicemail message at 862-800-6805. Just remember to say your name, what show you’re calling about (iEat Green with Bhavani), and your question. The message will be passed on to me, and I will get back to you.

With Love and Gratitude,

Bhavani

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