WEBVTT - Disaster Relief Pt. 1: World Central Kitchen Spotlight 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:03.279 We got married by a rabbi, and when we were 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:06.319 visiting with the rabbi before we got married and having discussions, 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:08.119 we told her story that I used to have this 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:10.920 little this this little thing I wore around my neck 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:15.120 and it said don't postpone joy. And and I think 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:17.040 I got it right when my wife and I started dating, 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:21.880 and when she purchased my my wedding ring I'm wearing now, 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:26.800 inscribed inside of it was don't postpone joy. And so 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:29.040 when we were talking to the rabbi, I guess my 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:31.600 wife told her this, this you know story and the 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:33.920 meaning of it and why why that was inside my 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:36.279 my ring. She just looked at us and said, just 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:39.440 look inside your ring. And so we decided to go 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:43.920 through with with wedding. Last week was a it's a 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:48.040 really horrible week for America. I got married September fifteen, 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:53.680 two thousand one, four days after nine eleven. Thousands of 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:59.440 our citizens lost lives, thousands were hurt, but thousands of 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:03.520 our citizens rose to the occasion to help. And immediately 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:07.720 I found myself on a cruise ship UM that was 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:13.880 anchored near ground zero, working the midnight shift, feeding first responders. 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:20.360 Its love and compassion. God bless America. Everybody was here. 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.959 Thank you for your hard work, thank you for making 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:33.640 a nation proud, and may God bless America. It wasn't heroic. 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:35.240 I did what I knew how to do. I did 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:41.440 my my part. I cooked. I really didn't think much 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:44.720 about how that came about. Um. I just heard of 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:47.200 that there was a need. I went down and signed up, 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:50.920 and I ended up running the kitchen from twelve o'clock 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:53.360 at night till eight o'clock in the morning and cooking 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:56.400 food for the first responders. We had people who were 0:01:56.400 --> 0:01:59.920 also working in I guess the front of house, you know, cleaning, 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.240 clearing tables and things like that, but they also spend 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:04.360 time with with some of the responders, and they were 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:07.120 pretty broken up by what they were seeing. So, you know, 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:09.640 for that short period of time we did provide, you know, 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:12.000 some comfort. But out of our tears and stead as 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:15.040 we saw the best of America as well. We saw 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:18.640 a great country rise up to help. Tens of millions 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:21.640 of dollars and thousands of hours and tons of food 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:26.760 and clothing have all been donated. But you know, looking 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:30.040 back on it, it was such a slapstick response. We 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:32.919 dealt with companies that were just you know, donating food 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:34.840 to us, and we had no idea what we're gonna cook. 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:38.960 But there were boxes of like branded you know, rice 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:41.240 and beans and things like that, and so it was 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.079 it was completely disorganized and the only reason we made 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:46.200 it work is because you're a bunch of professional chefs 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:52.400 in there who just figured it out. And it was 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:57.000 at least two weeks before we saw a real response 0:02:57.080 --> 0:02:59.840 to feeding people who were down there, you know, digging 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:02.519 to the rubble. That's just that's just, you know, looking 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:06.400 back on it, it's completely inadequate. You know, we we 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:08.560 need we need a government with a plan. You know, 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:11.519 these hurricanes and these disasters are happening all too frequently. 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:14.239 You know, this isn't the last pandemic that we're gonna say, 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:19.640 and so we we can't have a government, within the 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:24.840 absence of policy, relies on you know, Joseandrias. You know, 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:26.639 God bless him that he does this work. But we 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:29.040 shouldn't have to rely on that. We shouldn't have to 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:33.040 rely on his connections to wealthy people to help feed 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:35.000 people who are in need. That's that that's not the 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:38.440 way a government should respond to disasters, and so for 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:41.800 this episode, we're gonna look at disaster relief and whether 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.000 or not our our government should have a plan. We're 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.560 gonna look at policies that that we should have in place, 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:51.480 specifically the Feed Act, and how that that can completely 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.680 remake the way we deal with disaster relief. I think, 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:56.560 I think to understand that the need is, we need 0:03:56.600 --> 0:03:59.000 to understand that. You take a look at what it 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:03.000 costs to move food around, would cost to mobilize the 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:05.560 amount of people, whether it's on a in a large 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:08.600 city or whether it's on an island nation, it doesn't 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:13.080 really matter. It's it's about this massive, massive response that 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:16.960 has to happen. So um the best person to I 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.560 think take us through this is uh Nate Moot, the 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:23.320 CEO of World Central Kitchen. Jose gets uh the glory 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:25.240 out there, and he should, but Nate, Nate is the 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.040 one who keeps the wheels turning. So we are going 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:31.160 to speak it to Nate to just get an understanding 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:34.240 of the the size and scope and complexity of what 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:37.039 has to happen to feed people who are in need 0:04:37.120 --> 0:04:39.960 in times or a disaster. My video for us. So 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:43.839 we're in the middle of a pandemic. Are you hearing me? Okay? 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:47.119 With the headphones here. Most of these interviews are done 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:50.520 via zoom or our squad cast, I should say, but yeah, 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:52.880 that that you that social distancing thing that it's kind 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:56.839 of happening now, So we're gonna keep our distance and 0:04:56.839 --> 0:05:03.120 and make it make a podcast. Okay, So, Nate, what 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:06.480 what challenges are are we seeing with with the pandemic 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.280 sort of let's talk about the Nited States for a second, 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:13.039 to the nationwide pandemic versus a localized disaster. What are 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:16.080 the challenges you're saying, Yeah, I mean, I think it's 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.440 exactly right. I mean, this is very different from a 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:22.880 natural disaster in the sense that typically you have everything 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:27.120 focused into one area, so you can really redirect, you know, 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:30.760 all these resources, gather up everything, all these groups come 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:32.880 in and they focus in and they sort of you know, 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:35.440 it's like, uh, you know, you're you're sort of healing 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:39.640 this one place where there's been damage done. Unfortunately, now 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:43.440 the damage is is everywhere. Um. The damage can often 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:48.120 be seen, um, And it requires it really a completely 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:52.200 different approach, even if the underlying goal is the same, 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:55.479 which is to get food to those that need it. 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:58.560 The mechanisms in which you do that have to be 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:00.560 adapted to the current situation. You know what I mean 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:05.520 by that is UM an organization like World Central Kitchen, 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:10.080 but even the federal government, UM, you know, can't be 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:13.279 everywhere at the same time. And the pandemic is really 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.880 impacting the big cities like New York, but also you know, 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:21.599 small towns, UM, rural areas. We're seeing places like Navajo 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:24.719 Nation that actually the highest rates of of COVID in 0:06:24.760 --> 0:06:28.760 the country right now. And so if you can't be everywhere, 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.040 then how do you how do you respond? UM? I 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:35.799 think the other the other big piece is that because 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:41.320 this is not a typical disaster, the mechanisms, especially on 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:44.159 the federal level, that tend to get implemented in in 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:49.800 disaster scenarios. Uh, you know, nobody really knew what to do. Um. 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:52.280 You know, what was this an emergency where FEMA goes 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:54.520 in and tries to do something? You know, what is 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:57.320 what is the u s d A's role because you know, 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:00.080 we're seeing all these food banks being overrun and is 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:03.320 usd A now a disaster response organization? So there was 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.719 almost this like paralysis at the federal level of what 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.600 to do. And so you know, I think what's ended 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:13.880 up happening. What we're seeing is that uh, nonprofits like 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:17.400 World Central Kitchen, but also more importantly, local leaders, so 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:21.600 the mayors, the you know, the community based organizations in 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:24.360 the neighborhoods have really had to step up to fill 0:07:24.400 --> 0:07:29.240 the void. And the challenge with that is how do 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:32.040 you sustain that over this period of time. You know, 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:35.080 you can go in and very quickly activate and mobilized 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:37.240 to do things, but how do you do that on 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:41.160 a longer term scale. Um From the feeding side of things, 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:43.440 one of our biggest challenges that we found is that 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:46.480 it's the last mile that's the hardest part. How do 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:48.800 you get the food into the hands of those that 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.880 really needed It's one thing to produce the food, and 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:55.000 what we've seen is that, you know, the there's actually 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:58.000 ample production available right I mean, the restaurants are closed down, 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:00.440 so you've got you know, the kitchens that are that 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:02.560 are dormant right now that could be activated. You have 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:06.800 the suppliers that want to sell food to to somebody, 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:08.240 but then how do you get that food in a 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:10.520 way to get it to the people who can't either 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.160 leave their house or they can't go to congregate feeding sites, 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:15.520 and that's really proven to be the challenge. So it's 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:18.880 required really this sort of this complete reinvention of the 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.840 way that that World Central Kitchen operates. And also I 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:24.120 think just to wake up call more generally to our 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:29.000 society around the importance of local leadership and and and 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:31.440 not having to rely on somebody coming in from the 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:36.120 outside to to support and have all the answers. Yeah, 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:38.280 wasn't that always the case with the Stafford Act. And 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:41.839 the Stafford Act actually UH put the uh the the 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:46.679 onus on local governance to to deal with disasters, um, 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:48.880 which and sometimes it's part of the problem because the 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:52.240 federal dollars can't flow very well. But to me, you're 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:54.439 I think this is the point. You're making a really 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:55.640 great point here, and I think it's the point that 0:08:55.679 --> 0:08:57.400 a lot of people miss. So you can cook food. 0:08:57.920 --> 0:08:59.959 I mean, Jose can call any chef in the country 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:03.240 and say, hey, your restaurant's closed right now, open up. 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:05.800 I'll give you an X amount per meal. You can 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:07.800 you know, do five thousand meals a week and we 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:09.960 can feed a lot of people, and and and that's great, 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:12.680 but it's the logistics of finding those people. And I 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:14.840 work with the organization called Hungry and they were actually 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:17.760 doing that for the city of New York. Um, working 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:20.440 on that last not only the logistics of fighting the people, 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:24.200 but delivering the food to them as well. And my 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:26.960 understanding is that the rates of you know, finding the 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.000 people and delivering that food those meals, there's like a 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.560 fIF missr you know, mis rate I ever rate on that, 0:09:31.840 --> 0:09:33.400 which is you think about the amount of food that's 0:09:33.400 --> 0:09:35.760 being produced of that and not getting where it has 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:37.880 to go to. That's a that's a big rate. So yeah, 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:39.920 you're you're you're you're pointing out something that most people 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:43.040 don't understand, that that logistics problem not only delivering the food, 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:46.040 especially in the pandemic when things are shut down, but 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:49.000 finding that person, especially in a city like New York. 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:52.160 I mean, you may go to a housing project where 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:54.840 you know you've got to go through hallways and knock 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:57.960 on doors and and so it's it's a it's a 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:02.760 there's a there's a lot to do here. Um. So, um, 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.920 you know what Jose and I obviously you know, we've 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:09.679 had several conversations around you know, uh, we're all central 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:13.200 kitching starting to do UM advocacy work, not only feeding people, 0:10:13.200 --> 0:10:15.640 but you know, doing some policy work. And and it's 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.080 always been well we're kind of working out. Now you 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:20.840 guys are actually doing that policy work. And it's great 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:25.160 to see UM because you guys UM helped. It sounds 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:28.920 like help, right the Feed Act UM, which does exactly 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:31.800 what we're talking about. It's actually getting those federal dollars 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.800 immediately into you know, you don't have to wait for 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:37.720 FEED to mobilize, you don't have to wait for UM 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:41.240 for dollars to start flowing UM setting up. You know, 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:46.360 the network is there. UM. I mean, you think about this, 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:51.160 if if they wanted pandemic, everything starts to close, federal 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:54.400 dollars start flowing to restaurants, those restaurants stay open. They 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:56.920 all turn into community feeding centers. Not only do you 0:10:56.960 --> 0:10:58.960 feed a lot of people, but you keep that entire 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:01.600 supply chain and act so that milk that we see 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:03.360 that's being thrown out, and those chicken eggs that are 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:05.760 being broken, and the hogs that are on slaughter, all 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.600 of these things stay intact. Now so that's not that's 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.440 not broken, and so it really lessens the effect of 0:11:11.480 --> 0:11:14.319 this pandemic and lessons the effect that has on hungry people, 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:16.920 lessons the effect that has on the economy. But you 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:18.480 have to have a plan for this, So so what 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:20.120 what is the plan? Where? Where? Where are we with 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:22.760 the feed ack right now? Yeah, it's it's a great point. 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:24.720 I mean, I think again this this goes back to 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:28.400 the idea that, um, you know, the power should be 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:30.480 in the hands of the local community to be able 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:33.160 to respond, and I think I ideally, like you said, 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:37.520 that is sort of the general um goal of the 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:40.800 Stafford Act. The problem is that we were seeing in 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:44.560 actuality it runs into a number of barriers and there's 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:46.440 a couple of things that we really focused on with 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.839 the Feed Act. So one of them is who can 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:53.360 actually be providing those meals you know, typically in in 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:56.360 an emergency, and whether that should should it shouldn't be 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:58.480 a party planning company that has no experience with food, 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:01.839 right exactly that that we exactly exactly right. I mean, 0:12:02.040 --> 0:12:04.920 if it's looked at as government procurement, what ends up happenings? 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:07.400 You end up with organizations that are just bidding on 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.600 government contracts to make money, not organizations that really are 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:13.160 there to feed people. We saw this failed dramatically in 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:15.920 Puerto Rico. We've seen this fail so many times over 0:12:15.960 --> 0:12:18.679 the years. But it's the structure there that that that 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:20.880 leads to that problem. And so the idea here is 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:23.920 we need to open the door. We need to authorize 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:27.960 those dollars to be able to go to businesses like 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:30.920 restaurants and catering companies and those that are feeding people 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.200 and know how to feed people at scale for a living. 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:36.080 So that's one piece. The second pieces letting those dollars 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:39.480 also flow into local farmers. Right there shouldn't be anything 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:45.520 stopping a city, a county, a state from buying directly 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:49.319 from local farms to put together produce boxes other things 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:52.240 that can be put in the hands of those families, 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.360 right that so and right now it's really tricky to 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:58.200 do that. So those are two two key pieces. But 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:00.360 I think one of the biggest ones what a lot 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:03.760 of people don't realize about federal dollars is that there's 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:06.240 something called cost share. And what this means is that 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:09.160 the federal government will say, Okay, we're gonna we're gonna 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:15.200 pay of this, but is on you, the state or 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:18.480 the city or the county to cover that cost. And 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:20.560 you know, On the surface, that seems like, Okay, that's 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:24.280 pretty good, the federal government's gonna cover. But the reality 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:29.360 is what this what happens is this really disincentivizes um 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:34.120 especially lower income cities, uh, places that are harder hit 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:37.559 by the economic effects especially this pandemic, that just don't 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:39.959 have the budgets to do it. So, yeah, you might 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:42.880 have a place like Silicon Valley in California, Santa Clara 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:45.520 County that says, oh, yeah, we've got we've got Google here, 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:47.760 we've got the budgets, we have all this tax money 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:51.120 we can pay to feed our citizens, and then not 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:56.200 very far away in Stockton, California, they say, we don't 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:58.199 have the money to do this, we can't afford that 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:02.000 cost share, so we're not going to feed anyone. And 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.800 so really this has proven to be a big barrier 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:09.240 in this pandemic where you have it's it's your incentivizing 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:12.360 places that are already wealthy to provide food for their 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:17.679 citizens and disincentivizing those areas that are already economically disadvantaged. 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:20.080 And so that needs to change. And so what we're 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:22.440 trying to do is amend the Stafford Act to say 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:25.680 the federal government during times of national emergency or there's 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:29.080 an emergency disaster declaration, the federal government should be willing 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:32.840 to pay that hundred percent and not stop people from 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:35.120 from getting access to the food that they need. And 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:39.480 so we're hopeful. So the bill was introduced with bipartisans 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.920 board in both the House and the Senate um. The 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.320 language and the Feed Act was then incorporated into the 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:47.880 Heroes Act, which was passed by Speaker Pelosi with the 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:51.480 UM on the House and is now sitting in the Senate. Now, 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:57.480 we we know that that that majority of anything good, 0:14:58.000 --> 0:15:00.320 we know that it is not going to survive as is, 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.040 but we're hopeful that by continue to push the Feed 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.080 Act in a bipartisan way in the Senate that some 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:10.120 of that that language could could survive. And we're hopeful 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:14.240 because you know, we're seeing in both parties, we're seeing 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:18.440 how food should be. You know, access to food should 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:20.800 not be a political issue, right, we should not be 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:24.560 fighting each other around a battle like this when it's 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:27.560 good for for all of America. It's good for the 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:30.360 Red states, the blue states of the Purple States, and 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:33.080 so we're gonna keep pushing it. Um. We're hopeful that 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:35.920 when the Senate sort of reconvenes on the next steps 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:38.040 of this issue. In June, we can I mean in July, 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:41.280 we can continue to push for it. So so that's 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:42.760 the goal. You know, I think, like you said, I mean, 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:45.440 World Center Kitchen. We've you know, we we we've been 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:48.120 wanting to you know, to get involved and push some 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:50.760 of these initiatives forward. But this was something where it 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:52.840 was just it was very clear cut with the work 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.040 that we're doing, and we're hopeful that we can bring 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:57.640 about some lasting change. This is not pandemic only. This 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:01.120 can be something that can really survive and live on. Yeah, well, 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:04.240 you know what I'm what I'm hoping, um because for 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.640 the time that I spent working on issues with Congress 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:09.880 is that you know, they're they're not leaders in terms 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:11.760 of you know, they're not going to stick their neck 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:15.520 out and do something that you know, we'll give someone 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:18.440 an opening when it comes to election time. And so 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:23.160 when we see the lines of you know, people that 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:26.880 are waiting to three hours mile long lines waiting for 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:28.640 food banks to get some food for the families. And 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.520 these are people who you know, three months ago, they 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:34.160 never thought in a million years that they would be 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:38.280 on a breadline in their car. Um. And so you know, 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:41.600 I'm hoping that that there'll there'll be a more empathetic 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:45.680 sort of country who isn't gonna look at people in 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:47.840 need and say, well, you you made your own bedline 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:50.000 it or you know, pull yourself up by the bootstraps, 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:54.320 and you know all the rhetoric that we typically here. Um, 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:57.000 are you know, on the ground, are you seeing people 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:59.880 who were clearly middle class or even middle class or 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:02.560 waiting in those lines, who who may have a different 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:04.919 opinion of the work that you're doing, or may have 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:08.720 a greater sense of empathy for for people who are struggling. 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:11.400 We have, Yeah, And I think exactly like you said, 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:13.280 I mean what we're seeing now in this country is 0:17:13.320 --> 0:17:17.199 we've had a health crisis that has uh migrated to 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:20.880 an economic crisis that really now is a humanitarian crisis. 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:22.240 I mean, you go out to the Bronx, you go 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:26.120 out to queens, Um, you know you will see families 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:28.760 waiting in line seven, eight, nine hours to get a 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:32.520 box of food or you know, food to take home. Um. 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:37.320 These are folks that were hard working individuals that were 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:40.240 you know, we're doing their best and now really are 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:42.520 have been left out in the cold. I mean we 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:45.439 we have you know, forty plus million Americans out of 0:17:45.440 --> 0:17:48.960 work right now. That is not going to change right away. Um. 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:50.760 And I think there's a bit of a fallacy, right. 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:52.800 I mean, even in the restaurant industry right now around 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:55.480 reopening restaurants, right there's a sense, oh, things are gonna 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:59.280 get back. It's not. I mean, we're not through this, 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:02.639 and we need to recognize that. And I hope that 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:05.120 that more folks are going to be realizing that and 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.480 and put the resources and step up to the plate 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:10.119 to be able to support our communities too. So we 0:18:10.119 --> 0:18:13.480 we don't see this, I mean, the the amount of 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:16.679 time that we don't respond as needed is simply going 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:20.120 to drag out our ability to get back to any 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:24.160 semblance of normal. So you know, you mentioned I think 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:27.440 Harleman and Bronx. Uh, you know, cities, big cities. But 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:29.919 how much work are you guys doing out rural areas 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:33.880 because again my understanding that rural areas are getting hurts 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:38.680 as hard as is urban areas. UM, people are struggling 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:42.639 and because of the distance that you know, there's a 0:18:42.640 --> 0:18:45.760 lot more space, Um that that there's there's issues of 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:47.760 transportation to get food as well. How much work are 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:49.920 you guys doing out in rural areas. Yeah, so we're 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:52.439 doing quite a bit, and we're trying to We're always 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:55.639 trying to identify and expand ways to do more. UM. 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:58.480 You know, I think one of the real center pieces 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:01.720 of our model to activate restaurants to produce meals that 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:04.200 can go out into the community. So World Center Kitchen 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:07.160 is paying restaurants UM generally around ten dollars a meal 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.679 and the and those meals can be distributed into the 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:14.480 local communities areas of need. Um. You know, World Center 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:17.160 Kitchen can't be everywhere. We're a small NGO. We can 0:19:17.160 --> 0:19:20.480 be in a number of places, UM, but restaurants are 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:24.760 everywhere already, and so it's just common sense right to 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:28.359 activate those restaurants. So we're now active. UM. I think 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:32.480 today alone two eighteen cities and towns we're serving meals 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:34.520 in and getting meals out to so we can reach 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:38.240 those places. UM. And we're also specifically targeting some some 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:41.320 areas that are really hard hardest hit by COVID So 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:46.440 in Arizona and New Mexico um Navajo Nation, the reservation 0:19:46.520 --> 0:19:50.240 there has been per capita one of the hardest hits UM. 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:54.560 You know, intergenerational families living together. You have about eight 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:58.880 grocery stores for this massive geographical area UM, and it's 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:01.840 very difficult to get food to families and also be 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:04.400 able to support them to keep them isolated. So we've 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:08.720 actually had to adapt our model UM in in Arizona, 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:12.239 New Mexico to focus more on kits of food. So 0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:14.960 we went to households, we said, you know what types 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:16.800 of food, what are you what can you cook? What? 0:20:16.800 --> 0:20:19.919 What do you want fresh produce? UM, you know what 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:23.040 types of rice and beans and other ingredients to be 0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:24.920 able to prepare meals. And we've been putting together these 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:27.919 food boxes UM that can produce about a hundred meals 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:30.399 eighty to a hundred meals per box. And then that 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:32.520 way we're able to go out and deliver those two 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:36.080 two much more remote rural areas where places where where 0:20:36.160 --> 0:20:38.439 families can't get to food banks, where families don't have 0:20:38.480 --> 0:20:41.119 access to prepared meals. So that's sort of a you know, 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:43.720 a way that we've been adapting the model. We've also 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:46.040 been working very heavily in Central California with a lot 0:20:46.080 --> 0:20:49.159 of the farm workers UM. They're working with the United 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.240 farm Workers Foundations, so you know, everywhere is a little 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:53.919 bit different, and I think again that's why you have 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:56.280 to evolve and adapt and be able to work um 0:20:56.320 --> 0:20:58.840 and understand what those local needs of the community is. 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:02.640 But for us, really that's listening. UM. But you're right, 0:21:02.680 --> 0:21:04.840 I mean that is I think moving forward over the 0:21:04.880 --> 0:21:08.120 next uh, you know, eight weeks, the coming months, it's 0:21:08.119 --> 0:21:09.399 going to be how do we make sure that we 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:12.399