Feeding Ourselves Our Way (with Chef José Andrés)

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up the conversation with our amazing guests. COVID nineteen is a truth serum, and whether we like it or not, it reveals the fragility of so many of our systems, housing policing, how many zooms one human can take a day. I think the answers for on that last one. One area of acute vulnerability that COVID has exposed is our access to food. We've got farmers burning crops and warehouses of strawberries rotting because we aren't in business as usual.

We've seen the miles long images of people going to food banks, but rising to these challenges are restaurants, chefs, and communities who are figuring out new ways to involve everyone and productively feeding ourselves and our neighbors. In this episode, we look at two approaches that exist largely outside the realm of government, but well within the realm of people power. Although they differ in several ways, both are anchored by people committed to local community action as the way to

address the food crisis in America. I sat down with chef Jose Andres to hear what he and his organization, World Central Kitchen have learned about tapping into the resources and needs at the local level to help communities help themselves across the US and around the world. But before we go global with Jose, I realized there was a

model in my own backyard, right in Los Angeles. Back in July, a friend had texted me about something called the l a community fridge, a network of decentralized, independent refrigerators and pantries that provide food and vital supplies to communities through mutual aid. It may have started in New York City, but now these fridges are popping up all

over the country. It's basically a set of public refrigerators, usually hosted by a local business like Grows to Restore, Restauranto, bodega, and it's stopped, used and maintained by people in the neighborhood. And they coordinate by every means. They've got WhatsApp groups, Slack groups, conference calls, printed paper signs, and forms. I sat down with two l A Community fridge volunteers, Caitlin

and Leanna, to learn more. I'm curious for each of you how you initially got involved in the community fridge project. I think I remember in June I had some friends contact me and asked me if I wanted to be involved in this. They had seen the New York group in our Hearts their community fridge efforts and been like, you know, we should do this here. L A is so dense with people. This is something we definitely need. And I had never really heard of community fridges before,

but I was like, okay, I've got time. I'm in Like, this seems like something that's relatively easy to do and it's you know, it's going to benefit so many people. Yeah, So it's very hyperlocal and community driven. UM I had mentioned that, like when I came into the community, I was already kind of looking into restaurants. But people kind

of come to us at any stage. Some people come to us after they've already set up a fridge, and they've already picked a host, and they've already used all the resources um that have been built and taken it upon themselves to do all these things and get things set up. But I think that's kind of one of the main goals is to give everyone the resources they need so they can do whatever they're able to do.

So if they want to hop in and they want to find a host, and that's kind of like the amount that they're willing to put in, that's totally fine. And then as far as who's stalking them, we try to encourage folks whenever they start a fridge to get like a cohort of people who kind of agree to go by the fridge at least every day to clean it, to keep an eye on it, to keep it stocked. And I feel like after the ball gets rolling with it and the community really adopts it, it kind of

runs on its own. To a certain extent, of course, like things need to be cleaned and everything. But we have a slack behind the scenes where we're able to keep in touch with each other and kind of let each other know, like someone just reported that the fridge really dirty. Can someone go hop over there and take a look at it. Take me through that very elementary step of getting one of these fridges going. We do have a lot of resources on our link tree um

about how to find potential hosts. I think we did make a fridge checklist, like, oh, you want to start your own fridge, to make it very easy for people, because that is ultimately the goal is like we're not trying to do everything and oversee every fridge in l A. It's like anyone can do this. It's definitely a collective effort. One of the common questions is like, well, how much

is electricity costs? It costs about thirty bucks a month, and most of the hosts, I think all of our hosts are like paying that, you know, on their own. Most of them are like markets and restaurants. There are some anomalies they're the community centers and things like that. Are these all the same community? Are they distinct populations?

What is the community around the community fridge look like, the goal is for it to be kind of like all things to all people, right, is for all of us to be able to use it, and especially to get even more hyper focused from the word community like neighborhood based. Um, so what does that neighborhood need? Like an unhoused person can't really use uncooked rice, but a small family might be able to use uncooked rice, And like what is the community of people that that fridge

is serving? And how can we best serve those people? Yeah, the people who are in the slack, who are updating and stuff. There's like different channels for each fridge and we keep each other updated, like, oh, you know, vegetables aren't really moving at this fridge will redistribute it somewhere else, or people will put a food prep it. So it's you know, more of a grab and go kind of meal,

but it's you know, it's definitely a learning herb. And I think another thing is when someone gets something done, they bring it to the group. We have a weekly meeting every Monday, and so you're kind of like, hey, I made this thing, what do you all think about it? How can you be better? What didn't I think of?

It's just like what Leanna said, like you kind of just skip ahead and do the thing if you think people need it, and then be very willing and open to accept feedback um to make it the most usable for the most people. I'd love you to explain more of this term mutual aid as the model that you are using to delivered a service as opposed to operating a formal charity. What's the difference and why have you

chosen to model yours on this design of mutual aid? UM. Well, one of the things I think is actually kind of connected to hierarchy. Typically with charities, you have people with more money giving money to people who don't have the money, and so they're sort of controlling what they think other people want or making decisions for what they think other people want, and so that hierarchy and power it just

never quite feels right. It doesn't quite feel like you're really servicing people and helping people in the way that they need. So one thing about the mutual aid the way that that's organized is the lack of hierarchy really helps with that. It kind of um empowers you to take on the thing that you think needs to be done and to best service the folks who you're trying to help. I think another distinction too, is that we

don't collect any money. And I mean this is like a fridge specific thing, but like the food is the currency, Like that is the thing that we're trying to empower folks with. So we actually try to like actively avoid anyone giving us any money because then it just becomes a different project. I think that just becomes a different type of organizations. So whenever folks want to help or like go get food and put it in a fridge, that's the best way that you can possibly help with

the fridges. Or sometimes well default to not asking for many in other ways. For example, if we need some one to help with maintenance with the fridges, we don't say, like, hey, can you give us money we need to repair some fridges. We say, hey, do you know how to repair a fridge, and we get a bunch of folks in and they can help us with that. You cut out the middle party in this case money money exactly as the medium. Yeah, things done a lot more quickly. Yeah. Yeah, I knew

money was the problem. I know it. I knew it the whole day. There's been some criticism of this model from people in the food justice community who see these fridges as not sustainable or as not truly meeting the needs of the people who are pulling from the fridge in the same way, and they read it still as a charitable model of those with more time or more resources, maybe more access to slack delivering unto people who don't. How do you respond to that criticism or other criticism

you've received of your approach. It's not only people who are on Slack, and I do think that there is a big need and they are feeding a lot of people. There's a fridge that's set up pretty close to me, and I was talking to one of the people who lives at the place that's hosting it, and you was saying that some cleaning ladies on their way to work will like deep clean the fridge like once or twice

a week with their supplies and stuff. And it's like they obviously are not slack, they're on Instagram, they're probably not like in tune, but it's like they're on the ground and they see it in front of them and they want to care and help be you know, other members of their community. So those are the people who are also leaving food, but maybe taking something that they need. You know, it's give and take, and I think it

definitely benefits everyone. And I want to see a lot of these fridges around because there's so much food, so much food waste, and everyone needs to see. What has surprised each of you as you've become a part of this effort. One of the things that I found really surprising, I don't know if surprising is the right word, but exciting. Um. Whenever we had first started the East Hollywood Bridge in July was the first few days, what you saw was a lot of people taking a lot of things because

they're used to living in this scarcity mentality. I mean, if you I think we all, we all sort of had this happen to us at the beginning of the pandemic, where you went to the grocery store and you're like, I guess we're never eating beans ever again. Like you're just like, I guess there's just no more beans in the world. So of course, as soon as they get beans, like you take way more than you need because you don't know when they're going to have that thing again,

you know. Um. And so what was really exciting was after that first week of constantly, really adamantly refilling the fridge. It just sort of like created a flow in a system to where you didn't see as many people like rabbing so many things because they trusted that something was going to be there the next day. So I wouldn't say that was surprising, but it was like very interesting and memorable connection to make it my own head, especially at the time of COVID when we were all kind

of like experiencing that in different ways. So just this understanding that, you know, people take more than they need when they don't know how long they're going to have to need it, you know. I think something that's been surprising for me is just how many nice and sweet people live all over lay, Like whether it's people who help with the fridges or people who use the fridges

and you run into. It's so nice to just meet people and like have genuine conversations with people who care, especially like in this weird time where you're only seeing people's eyes everyone's wearing a mask. But yeah, I love the just the little connections that you make and not surprising me because that's not something I thought would come

along with this. How have you managed conflict in operating this network of fridges, we have these common resources, these documents that are like this is our value statement, and this is how we choose a host, and we all agree upon those documents. And so you sort of set these guidelines up front and empower people to work within those guidelines. And of course if you feel like there's an issue with a certain guideline, then you bring it

to the meeting um. But I think that that kind of helps move things along a little bit more quickly. So you wrote a constitution and then strive to live up to it in the same vein, how are you dealing with local authorities who may have different ideas about how to regulate these We've had a few fridges that have had some of those issues. One a few of them were cited by the city for health violations or just the city code. To me, it seems like police

are just using anything to write it up. Because we had a fridge in Compton and it got shut down by authorities. They said it couldn't be out there. The violation was like leaving machinery that's broken outside and obviously it's like plugged in running there's food in it. And then like they thought it and they ended up starting the fridge back up again, but then somebody cut the

cord and it's like still sitting there empty. But since it hasn't been running and sitting there empty, which actually that is breaking you know, the code, they haven't been written up at all. So it's to me it seems like police are picking and choosing, or city you know officials are picking and choosing. Um. But we have had to remove a fridge because we don't want the businesses

that are hosting to get sided obviously. And then the example that Leanna gave my understanding is that several different city officials at different levels interacted with the fridge and they all like didn't really speak to each other. So it definitely seems like there's an inconsistency and kind of

like what the discrepancy is there? For sure? Um, But obviously food health and safety is very critical, which is why it is so critical to have a clean fridge all the time and to take dirty stuff out of it whenever you see dirty stuff in it. Um. And I just think that that really just comes with frequency, and I think the healthiest fridge is one where the food doesn't stay in it for longer than six hours anyway, which is kind of what the East Hollywood fridge is.

It's like nothing's there for if it's there today will absolutely be gone tomorrow. What lessons would you share with someone who wants to work in their neighborhood for mutual aid. I feel like the biggest lesson that I've learned that kind of does connect to this is like the more people on hand, the more people who you have to help, the more connections you make, the easier everything is. You don't want a few people over working putting so much time.

Like if there's a lot of people, everything works more smoothly and there's a lot more support for maintaining the fridges and getting everything together. Yeah, I would agree with that, I think likely. And I said, we have a ton of resources that folks can use so they don't have to start from scratch. And I believe that we adopted some of those resources from New York as well. So I think we're all kind of like learning as we

go and adapting as we go. But I think often when we have people come into the group, solutions to problems look like policing in a way, or like trying to control a situation. It might be like, oh, people are abusing the fridge after hours, we should lock the fridge after hours. And so I think one thing I've learned, just like as a human being is that how do you provide resources so that folks can have what they need? That's like literally what the whole fridge model is there for.

So we're always kind of instead of saying, like, how do we cut this off? How do we make boundaries around this? We're always trying to make it bigger. We're always trying to help people with what they need. So we've had conversations about frid Is being more than just frid Is, about people perhaps bringing like clothes to donate and things like that. So rather than just immediately cutting it off and say okay, we don't accept close, saying like, all right, how do we make clothes work. Let's give

this a shot. Let's put a clothing right there, Let's

see if people tend to it. Let's see how that works. UM. So I think always defaulting what is the improv saying like always defaulting to yet yes and right, It's like yes, and it's a very like yes and community, um to sort of get people what they need and see what the right solution is because it's kind of breaking a lot of rules to start, So like, why create more rules when we could give people the things that they say that they need the story of the local cleaning

ladies regularly cleaning the community fridge in their neighborhood on the way to work, that struck a chord with me. That's a sign of ownership. They see value in these fridges and they feel invested enough to contribute with their own time and skills. At the end of this episode will share ways you can support or even start your own community fridge. But right now, let's go to our conversation with Chef Jose Andres. We are hungry. Can you

take me back to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. I was inside the female headquarters, in the room where was supposed to be, the room where he happens, where it was supposed to be, deciding how many people were hungry, who was going to do it? And after listening to the powers to be almost for an hour, I realized that was not planned. I realized that everybody was finger pointing at somebody else or responsibilities. I realized that everybody

was trying and used to do it. Together. I realized that many of these people, they didn't even move from that big convention center. And if you are not moving away from the convention center, how do you really know what's happening across the island. And that moment I realized we began already by then doing close to ten thousand meals a day. We never said no to anybody that

asked for food. So that's where we went from ten friends three days after the hurricane, a whole bunch of chefs that they responded to my what's up saying I'm here, and they I'm here meant I'm here, let's cook together. We went from ten friends to more than twenty five thousand men and women volunteers. Puto Ricans fed Puto Ricans. We went from one kitchen to and the six. We went from thousand mills the first day two hundred fifty thousand meals a day, we did almost four million mills.

Even we did millions more because we were able to give ideas to others about what to do. How does World Central Kitchen operate and how different is that from some of these other organizations you mentioned, the Red Cross Female We are different because nothing is more powerful than the local community. Why because nobody knows best what the

community needs. This mentality that the people coming from the side and they are telling the locals what they need, versus as shutting up and listening more to them what they really need. This is used one of the main

difference that boll Centered Kitchen does. Obviously, in an emergency, people are shocked and be a whore can come the earthquake, a typhoon of fires, and yes, you need to come from the outside and trying to create certain systems to start in our case feeling, we don't plan, we don't meet, We put boots on the ground and we start feeding. In the process of feeding, what really we're doing is gathering intelligence in the process of feeding. What really we know,

it's what's happening one community at the time. In the process of feeding, locals began joining us. In the process of feeding, we create an army of good. In the process of feeding, we have information that other people sitting down in the comfort of their headquarters don't have. And at the end, that's what we do. We put boots on the ground and we start providing food and water. In the process, we increase until there is no more need. In the process, we learned what other end us are doing.

If these others doing, we try to partner. If they don't want a partner, that's fine. We keep seeing so we don't leave anybody behind. And what we do better than anybody is that we go to the forgotten places, to the forgotten neighborhoods where sometimes police tells you don't

go there because it's too dangerous to go. And you know where, I learned that those places that they are too dangerous to go, you bring hope through food and water, and you aren't playing with the kids basketball or you end helping an elderly person moved to a more safe location. And that those places that somehow they tell us they are dangerous because it's used I don't know, a different part of town. You learned that there is no danger.

That the only danger we face is not knowing people that live in our own cities and our own communities and not listening to their needs. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the size of the help needed, and if so, how did you work through that. Does the stress of a restaurant kitchen help you work through the stress of an overwhelming public need in the face of disaster. I think the moment that for me was crazy is when I saw the images of Katrina and especially on the Superdome.

And this is something like I've been playing in my head. I wish I could go back in time, be there right before Katrina heat. Not like we want to go through and try to do more good to the people that suffer in an unnecessary way by not being ready for them. What happened in the Superdome alone was never supposed to happen many Americans alone in a stadium with no food, no water, no basics, sanitation in mind. If we were there a group of cooks. You know what

a stadium means. You know what an arena is? An arena? People have it wrong. It's not a music venue. It's not a sports venue. It's a gigantic restaurant that entertains with the sports and musician. I just gotta that's a very uh, chef centric view of arena. I love it. And at the end of the day, if we were able to do that, to put all the foot vendors up there, up and running the food spots, I bring

few of my friend chefs. We got some of the volunteers there and we start organizing used by feeling people and bringing them water and hope, and then we bring everything else. But you see the big problems. They have very simple solution. Can you talk briefly about like what food is to you in terms of its connection to security, it's connection to community. Um, why is food special? Well, food is especial because we are highly attached to our mothers.

And in a way, one of the things that creates this amazing bond beyond that she's been carrying all of us for nine months, is that within hours of being born our mother, our father, they're feeling us immediate And this is a link that for ever, it's not forgotten, even if we were highly unaware of the moment. If I could go back one second in my life, I we love to go and being a word the moment my mother fed me. This makes food being this kind

of powerful way of saying. Food equals comfort, foot equals somebody that loves you. Food equals home, foot equals family, foot equals safety is beyond the physical need. So that's why it's so important. We don't think deep enough about it, but I do believe that link. I wish I could prove the theory and maybe one day we can if we can travel back to the past. And at the

end of the day you think about it. Unfortunately more ways than one, boys like me, who are the ones that are always giving praise or having the best restaurants and feeding our cities and the most luxurious food. But if you think for a second and you go around the world and you stop and you go to Musambik or Haiti or Peru or you know who, you know

who feeds the world. Women are who feeds the world, not only because they feed us all the mothers when we're born, but beyond that, who is really feeding the world are always woman in every corner, in every street. They're the ones feeling the people of the world. So white food is important. Byetts around the French philosopher in tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are. Yes, food is who we are. And

he said another phrase that was even more important. He said, the destiny of the nation will depend on how they feed themselves. So food is essential for human life, but is much deeper than that. Give us hope of a better tomorrow, give us a sense of community, give a sense of peace, give a sense that things are okay. That's why we must defend the right of every child in American around the world to have access the food that empowers them to achieve every dream that a John

boy or girl can have. Can you share what you're working on in terms of applying the World Central Kitchen model to our COVID situation and in particular this bill that you are working on with Senator Kamala Harris, which is an escalation even further of your work in the

world beyond running restaurants. Back in the day, it's called the featat and was to put restaurants upon working especially family on a small restaurants to make sure that between the federal government and years like ours and the local governments the mayors are at the front lines, we will be able to activate the restaurants to take care of the local food needs, elderly homes, homeless, hospitals for responders and who amazing the federal government through FEMA supports the

local needs one seri at the time through local businesses where the restaurants are working, they can be paying salaries to the people locals, no locals. Best they know where they need is working in alliance with the local mayors, feeding the communities in need. In the process, the money goes into the economy. Restaurants can pay rent, people can pay food for their children, and the rent at home we can buy from local farmers. At the end, one

dollar is multiplied by four. This is smart and that's what we've been trying to do. We have twenty restaurants total across forty estates and at one point we were doing three hundred fifty meals a day. We are ready in the north of thirty million mills through this pandemic. And what we did was obvious at the very beginning. Many Enginos, many of them run by elderly people. They had to be home because that was the safe thing to do. So many engeos kind of shut down business

at the early stages of this pandemic. Many hospitals they had function in restaurants because while they built the hospitals in the wrong way and the kitchens were in the middle of the wrong place, or people didn't come to work well because public transportation ended well because people were getting sick, so wasn't our kitchen. First thing we did was the start covering those needs. We've done hundreds of hospitals across America. We did all the hospitals in Manhattan,

in Bronz, in Harlem, in Queens. We began going to the very forgotten communities, a lot of Black communities, a lot of Latino communities. We began feeding elderly care centers. That's what we began doing, use covering the black holes of the system. And I'm very proud we did it because was necessary and we were able to apply our experience to tell Congress, we're showing you what has to be done. We are showing you what we should be doing. We reached through to opeds New York Times and watching

them post. We told the White House, if I was you, this is why I we'll do. With all Congress, if we were you, this is what we will do. We're testing that we're already doing it. Support us to keep doing this work beyond what we are already doing. And so far, let's hope this bill will pass, but there's many other things that have to happen to fit America can be done. It's political will. If Americans go hungry in the weeks and months to come, it's because we

had a political way to stop it. We cannot stop tomorrow. The pandemic, but we can stop tomorrow hunger in America. If you were to define the words citizen, not as a legal status, but as a verb, how would you define it? You know, citizen, I would say, is used to provide for the people you don't know, the same you're trying to provide for your own. That should be

the true million of citizenship. If you only think about your own, it's okay, so okay, you take care of your own, but you will never protect your children, your family if you are not hoping to work hard to provide for others the same you're aiming for your own. Hey, I'm from Spain. I know about castles. Somebody that tells you that by putting your family inside for wolves, your family is gonna be safer. I like guns, you know I should sometimes when I'm in a Spain or here,

nothing wrong, I love it. But if you think like putting people in four wolves and you just gonna that's the way you're gonna be protecting your family. Look at the Spain, we had castles and we were in beaded anyway, what is really going to be providing you comfort and safety are not higher walls but actually no walls along their tables. Make sure you share the wealth of what you're trying to get on your own with others, and you'll be safer than you've ever dream of being. So

that's why we describe it. One must be good for you must be good for others. It's not either person, but with the people. I want to give some space to our live audience. We have a question from Kathleen. So this is an incredibly difficult time for human beings to do what we normally do, which is to come together physically, and it's something that is missing in all

of our lives. So when we talk about for those of us who may be in a vulnerable population, or taking care of children, taking care of elderly kinds of things that we can do to help the organizations that you're talking about who do provide support to the food challenge. We have a program here in Portland, Oregon called Blanchet House, so I've been getting people together to make sandwiches for them. I feel like there has to be more that we

can do. So on your website, do you have a list of all of the organizations and restaurants so that we can expand our knowledge and our support even further, because sometimes the only thing that we can do is get together a coalition of people and make sandwiches and take them to Blanchet House. So even more specific things that we can do in our isolation to help other than write a check. Yeah, I mean the complication of

asking everybody to do food and deliver. Obviously everybody can do that, and I think this is great, but also we need to be careful. I remember in the early days of the pandemic that allot of random people were bringing food to hospital. Actually that was not the best for the hospitals because they already were going through hardships and to have to be handling people that in good will they were trying to bring food every day was creating some mayhem in some hospitals. As you may understand.

That's way for us to organize it in a systemic way that everybody knows at what hour you're delivering, to whom you're delivering, and you bring chaos out of the equation. And this is very important. But one of the things that I want to mention that I'm very proud of the early days wasn't the kitchen went to Yokohama to feed princess cruise ship six thousand Americans, many Americans, six

thousand people, eighteen thousand meals a day in Yokohama. From there we moved to Auckland to feed also another princess cruise ship. That were the two big cruise ships that got copied and from Japan. We already realized even we were following what was happening in China. I was learning about how the restaurants in China were handling, how the food systems were happening. Where Chinese people in the middle of Bohan running out of food, how are the distribution.

So I began pulling a lot of thinking in that. So by beginning of March, we got what we called the Food Safety for COVID nineteenth and we created a little puppet called MASKI Mask M A. S k Y, which is this guy with this big mask that he began telling all of us how to behave, how to behave in the restaurant, how to cook in the restaurant. In a moment we didn't know how bad this virus boss.

To keep distance, to wear gloves, to sanitation washing hands, to wear the mask, to even wear glasses, but also how to deliver how to do take up, how to keep people wearing in line outside the restaurants six feet aboy. We did these circles in mid March that MASKI will be telling you all the things everybody need to know. And we did this across many of the places we were delivering food every day. Probably we've been delivering food I don't know in more than sixteen teams at one

point twenty thousand places a day, all across America. And for me, I wanted to use that moment to keep sending the message from early March about how we had to behave to keep everybody safe. One of the things I'm very proud is that of the restaurants we've been having without we don't have to close one. We keep everybody safe, everybody doing good, everybody healthy. This to me was very important because in the early days I had a lot of pressure on men will happen if something

happens to somebody, because I'm asking them to cook. Obviously, everybody we have cooking in my restaurants or through Words and Drag Kitchen. There are volunteers and they do it with the heart. So the number one responsibility what you can do is keep everybody safe. When you do this, make sure you keep doing it, that we don't bring our guard on. The pandemic is gonna go with still for a few weeks, a few months. We need to

make sure that we don't bring our guard down. We need to think that wearing a mask, or wearing gloves or keeping distance shouldn't be because you are from one political party on another. Should be because you are making sure that you protect yourself but also you protect others from you. This is what is to be a good citizen. This is what is to be a good American. And every American I know they don't want any bad to

happen to other people. So man, the only sacrifice we have to do is work masks and word gloves and keep distance versus soldiers men and women that they've gone overseas and put their lives at risks, flying for freedom of others and democracy and protecting America. Wow, this is the all sacrifice I have to do to keep moving forward. So this is important. This is one thing beyond feeling that we all should be doing. To say, wearing a

mask shouldn't be political, keeping distance shouldn't be politics. Being respectful to others should be what's a citizen means and being an American means that we the people, we are gonna look after each other. If on top of that, you're able to be doing feedling, that's that's where I go to Ward Central Kitchen. You'll see what we do. But we are not the only organization. The banks of America, the food banks through Feeding America, they've done a great job,

but they need to be funded by government. Right to your Senator, right to your Congressman, and tell them why are you not supporting with all the needs of every single food bank across America. The school lunches, they should be increased, not only to feed children, but also to feed the family of the children's in need. Make sure that every school becomes the heart, the Troy and horse

for good of the community. Right to your Senator and to your congressmen and tell them support the school lunches initiatives. Make sure that every etherly home is spaid in the right way, protecting the people so we keep them in safe heavens and we don't lose anymore elderly because the curless leadership in the early days of this pandemic and we let them alone is many ways we can keep helping.

One of them is keeping everybody safe and telling others to keep everybody safe by doing the same you do. And more important, keep righting to your senators and your congressmen and tell them to feed an American in need. Is not a Republican or a Democratic issue. It's an American citizen issue. Fit everybody through this pandemic, and maybe

we'll move away from this pandemic. Is stronger, no weaker. Jose, I cannot thank you enough for sharing of your extraordinarily in demand time with us here and how the citizen with Barraton Day you have modeled so well what it means to citizens proving and living out which you've asked us all to do that what's good for you, it's good for us all. And thank you for living by the words that you've just shared. Peace, love, Thank you,

thank you, thank you, Hello you, my friend. I've got to cut in here just for you listener and let you know what's about to happen. So we were in the zoom, Jose was saying thank you and I love you, and Tranquilo and the live audience is very excited to have spent some time and got to ask some questions, and I'm about to wrap this thing up. I'm about to bring it home. And then Jose cuts back in. I thought he was gone. I thought he was gone. And he cuts back in and he starts kind of

pounding his fist on his chest. Uh in a in a loving gesture. He's pounding his fist on his chest, and he prepares to add one more thought to our interview about what we can do in the age of coronavirus. By any way, this is the way we should be saying. Hi, elbows, no more elbows. Everybody cough in the elbow, and then we're go giving elbows? Are we pricy? Are we pricy? If this is a spreading? Are we spreading? And throw

our elbows? Never an elbow? Anymore elbows for coughing. You do these and that's all the people need now, man or or or what kind of forever in honor of our already gone friends. But no more elbowing. And we are getting America injured again. Everybody is having an elbow issue? Are we pricing? And if you love a person a lot, you do three, but never elbows again? Are we stupid? We get too close with the elbow. Every time I elbow,

somebody's if this kissing me? No, Hans is fourther away. Sorry, I had to man, no more elbows, are we not. There's a there's a lot of things. There's a lot of things I did not expect in and that just became the number one thing I did not expect Jose Andrews ranting against the elbow for amazing reasons. No, no, no, do not apologize. That is only that. Okay, that's it, alright, armano, alright,

wakonda forever Yo. That was Jose Andre's chef, entrepreneur, humanitarian, big citizen and defender of the realm of hygiene and safety when it comes to interpersonal greetings. So wonderful. I heard a lot there, and I just want to reflect intuitively about it. We thought we knew why we wanted jose to be a part of this show because he has worked in a way that unlocks the capacity within the communities that he's attempting to help and not just

distribute top down aid upon them. And that came through glaringly to me just now that this is a well thought out, compassionate and highly integrated system that's not just either person but one that is run by, for and with we the people. He said, nothing is more powerful then local community. And the only real danger in those dangerous communities is not knowing what they really need because

we're not listening, we're not asking those questions. Food waste is a problem, but wasting people is a much bigger one. And we have an opportunity to tap people to do more to help each other out in this moment that we're in. This idea that the meaning of citizen, to Jose is that we essentially do for others as we want done to ourselves, but that we give to there's that which we demand for ourselves, and that we cannot secure ourselves alone, just like we cannot citizen alone. What's

the point of being in a society? To build walls and bear arms alone is not going to bring us safety. Lower those walls and extend the table so that we all might be nourished, so that we all might eat, so that we all might feed on all the beauty that food provides us, which isn't just the nutrition, it's the love, it's the connection, it's the community, and that will allow us to show up stronger literally in all these other areas that we need strength for especially now,

hey you, it's me again and it's just us. And whether it's Leanna and Caitlin from the l A Community Fridges or Jose Andrace with the World Central Kitchen, we know that the are other ways for us to feed ourselves and take care of each other. If you see examples in your own community or been a part of them, please send an email two comments at how to citizen dot com and just let us know what you think in general about this episode. And now it's your turn

to do some actions. In each episode, we love sharing things you can do internally and externally to strengthen your citizen practice. I don't want you to get all tripped up on memorizing what I'm saying here. One you can always rewind, but we make this available visually at how to citizen dot com or even closer wherever you're listening to this podcast right now in the show notes of that app. For this episode feeding Ourselves our Way, Here are three things you can do now. The first is internal.

It's kind of a journaling exercise. You can think it out loud to yourself. You can send yourself an email or voice memo. Or right, longhand, but we want you to explore your relationship with different types of assistance, mutual aid versus charitable aid. And I want you to think about how comfortable you are in asking for help when you're in need. Think about a time when someone tried to help you with really good intentions, but they missed

the mark because they didn't listen. Think about these and many other questions we have with more detail again in the show notes or how to citizen dot com. But I want you to get personal about your relationship with help, both giving it and receiving it, and whether you notice the difference when that help is mutual versus top down.

All right, so that's number one. Number two external action, I want you to look into whether your community could benefit from a community fridge or some other mutual aid project, depending on what the actual needs are. I'm not gonna say everybody needs a fridge, because maybe everybody doesn't, but every commune to t needs something. So we've posted some guides in the show notes and on how the citizen

dot com. But see if this is something that you can start up or even better join, join, even typing in to your favorite search engine. Mutual aid and insert the name of your city or neighborhood. You may find something you can be a part of. So that's number two, number three, And finally, lend your voice to ensuring that the Feed Act becomes law in the United States. This is the piece of legislation in Jose Andres has been

advocating for and spoke about with US. It allows FEMA to use already allocated disaster relief funds to feed people. It allows for local, state, and tribal governments to form contracts with local restaurants and nonprofits and small businesses to make and distribute healthy meals. And it's bipartism. And how often can we say that? In these times? There's a House version and a Senate version and they're stalled. They

were part of a larger package. That package has been held up for too many reasons for me to get into. What I want you to do is call and have this thing happen. There's a phone number two O two two to four, three one to one. That's the general switchboard. If you already know your REPS number, good for you.

If you don't check the show notes, we have resources to help you make your first call to Congress, say your name, be polite, be direct, be respectful, and let's feed this country with the money and the food flowing through local businesses and local restaurants who are actually on the ground. If you take any of these actions reflecting on mutual aid, creating or joining a mutual aid effort in your community, calling Congress to demand passage of the

Feed Act, let us know about that. Send an email to action. How does citizen dot com include feeding ourselves in the subject line? And if you're feeling real excited, you can share some of this on social media to just use the hashtag how to citizen and we will lift up as many of those as we can through

my accounts. If you liked what you've heard here and what you've been hearing in this series so far, please leave a review in your podcast app of choice, give us the good rating if you're feeling that good about the show, and stay connected by signing up for my newsletter. At barrattune Day dot com, I announced the upcoming shows. I provide links to get you into those live tapings so you can ask questions and share your thoughts too.

How does Citizen with Bartune Day as a production of I Heart Radio podcast executive produced by Miles Gray, Nick Stump, Elizabeth Stewart, and Barrattune Day Thurston, Produced by Joel Smith and edited by Justine Smith. Powered by you s