As heard on NPR with Brian Lehrer.

This morning we did an interview for National Public Radio with Brian Lehrer on WNYC. You can listen to it by clicking here.
The article that I talked about concerning the cost of living in the United States versus the cost of living in a third world country can be read here. Again, most of the [...]

As seen in the Christian Science Monitor.

Eliene Zimmerman showed up at our house a few weeks ago, laptop in hand, ready to get down to business. She pulled up a chair to the island in the kitchen and fired off questions, typing frantically as she spoke. Her presence was warm, her tone friendly, and her fingers determined. She was one of [...]

Viola Loves Salsa.

With equal amounts of pride and oblivion she strides in from the backyard. The look on her face says it all. I can tell she’s had a wonderful day, and her gaze serves as a testament to her happiness. I love seeing her like this. Nothing is more important to me than the happiness of [...]

The Mysterious Case of Food Costs and Short-sizing.

We’re not economists. We’re not grocery store executives. We don’t transport food. And we definitely don’t grow it and sell it. Our role in the food production machine: consumers. We’re at the end of the line.
We shop, we cook, and we eat. Which I assume makes us a lot like everyone else. We’re not really [...]

As seen on Fox 5.

If you were to walk into my classroom at 7:50 a.m. on a “Bon Jovi Day,” you would see 35 tenth grade students getting out their homework and warm-ups while bobbing their heads and singing along to (of course) Bon Jovi. One student, who frequently walks in just after the bell, smiles and bursts into [...]

As seen in “In Touch” Magazine

There I was, standing under the blinding florescents of Long’s Drugs. Middle-aged women walked by, shooting me concerned looks. I flipped through the pages, scanning headlines like an FBI agent scans a crime scene. O.J. is convicted. Britney’s desperate to succeed. Friends worry Madonna’s suffering from a midlife crisis. More troubles for Winona.
Feeling the anxiety [...]

The Power of Community.

A dozen tables were lined up end to end with nearly thirty volunteers on either side packing and filling boxes with food for tomorrow’s opening of the Holiday Basket Program through the Community Resource Center. Throughout the weekend, over 1200 families will be given the chance to have a dignified “shopping experience” as they make [...]

The Middle.

A report released today by the Food Bank of New York City, and reprinted by the Wall Street Journal, stated a challenge that many people are dealing with at this very moment: they can’t afford to eat.
For the folks who are determined to keep believing that, “those people just aren’t working hard enough,” I’d like [...]

(Re)Gaining Control of the Cart

I mentioned in a previous post (way back in September) that my very first job was at a movie theater. However, my second was at a grocery store. I worked there for six and a half years, and for quite some time I was a courtesy clerk. Part of my job was helping people to [...]

Change We Can Eat!

A 64 year old man is living in the back of a grocery store and wants recipes from us so that he can make bread with his hot-plate. Kathleen’s  family of five was plunged into 14 months of unemployment and she, “literally wept when milk reached $3 a gallon.” Will Wilson in Anchorage had to [...]