December 23, 2025 • 44 mins
To close out 2025, Theo speaks with Sam Luu and Hillary Cohen of Every Day Action. We learn how they scaled their pandemic-era mutual aid effort to feed the unhoused to where they are today, continuing that work by preventing food waste on film sets and helping out-of-work film industry professionals during the ongoing labor crisis.
Learn more about Every Day Action here:
https://www.youreverydayaction.org/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Previously on Weedian House.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
We often say an Indian country that being Indian and
identity is very complex, and there's a lot of reasons
for that, you know, having to do with the historical
processes of colonization, you know, settler colonialism, being dispossessed. So
you know, I mean, I'm thinking about the theme of
this podcast, I'm being unhoused and the through lines of that,
(00:28):
like what does it have to do well. Native American
people in this country are the first unhoused people. We
are the first people to be rendered homeless, to be
dispossessed of our lands. And it's that beginning point that
creates all the other problems that we have, including the
problems of identity.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Welcome to Wittian House. I'm your host, Theo Henderson. I'm excited.
We have two guests today from every Day Action, a
nonprofit that has been nominated for CNN's Hero of the
Year award.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
But first on House News.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
This is an open invitation please come join us at
the opening of Shirley's Free Food Hub. It's going to
be held Sunday, January fourth, twenty twenty six, from two
pm to four pm at thirty eight forty nine mount
Clair Street, Los Angeles, California, nine zero zero one eight.
(01:45):
This event will be the opening of the community fridge
and pantry named in honor of Shirley Chisholm and her
lifelong commitment to community care. Please bring a potluck, dish
or food donation for the fridge if you like. Our
next story takes us to Newport Beach, California.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Due to the Grass.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Pass ruley and the increased anti camping laws in Newport Beach,
they plan to withdraw from the Band and Bridge shelter program.
The shelter opened in twenty twenty one with seventy two
beds for the unhoused community. The original cost was one
point six million dollars. Newport Beach city officials negotiated with
(02:30):
Costa Mesa to give up access of all of its
allocated shelter beds by twenty twenty seven, and that's on
house dues. When we come back, I speak with the
team behind Everyday Action and learn how they are distributing
(02:51):
leftover food from Hollywood film sets.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Welcome back to Willian House. I'm Theo Henderson.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
This episode epitomizes Maya Angelo's quote, we delight in the
beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it
has gone through to achieve that beauty. Our guests today,
samlu and Hilary Cohen, embodied the transformation it takes to
meet the needs of the Hungary during the pandemic and
beyond their nonprofit everyday action is the butterfly that went
(03:27):
through the chrysalis of change. Here is their story. This
is theo Henderson from Weedian House. And we have an
exciting couple of people here that is meeting the moment
and when I say meeting the meeting the moment of
we are in such chaos and particularly in large part
(03:51):
due to the administration that we have, and if you
have missed it or you've been living under a rock,
you understand that we are in the throws of the
death nail of feeding instability, that's what I would like
to call it. And our own administration sued poor people
to not feed them. Let me repeat that so you understand.
(04:13):
The Trump administration, the president of the United States, sued
to not feed over forty two million Americans. They fought
tooth and nail and not feeding when the government was
in the shutdown, So that means there was at least
over twenty two million children that were starving. There were
adults that were starving, there were disabled people that were starving,
(04:34):
and they were just equile body people starving as well.
The fact remains that this is the statement, This is
the metaphor that people who said that they didn't know
Trump was going to be like this what they've been
voted for three times. This person voted for well, this
person accepted the vitriol and the disdain that he has
for vulnerable people, food and secure and income secure people
(04:59):
that do boom and gloom or doom.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Scrolling kind of introduction.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I will try to lift this moment up to a
little bit more of an upbeat type of tempo. We
have two people that are meeting is a moment. I'm
going to let them introduce themselves and then from there
we're going to have a conversation about how critical this
moment is here in Los Angeles and how also we
can do it from the micro to the macro without
further dude, welcome, my two guests.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Please introduce yourselves.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Well, I'm Hillary and I'm Sam and we're the co
founders of Everyday Action. And Everyday Action is a nonprofit
that was founded a little over five years ago, and
we focus on reallocating food from fem MTV sets, but
also other events, grocery stores and more across a ninety
mile area of outreach to people in need, the people
who are in house, and people who are struggling with
(05:46):
food insecurity.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Yeah, we are a food recovery service and our services
also provide that recovered food over to other nonprofits and
other organizations that have food programs or inherited it. That
happens with a lot of a lot of different nonprofits
and programs, so we're really helping stretch their dollar as
well while also you know, saving the planet and you know,
(06:11):
helping food waste get reduced as well as food and security.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I would like to also add more bang for the
book because of what's going on, the food is really
needed and in particularly in this time Hillary.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Yeah, I want to get back to what you said
about Action and that's where Everyday Action kind of came from,
and it was founded in twenty twenty. To me, a
similar time of now where there's a lot of need
and a lot of areas and a lot of places
to give back, and it's hard to figure out what
to do. And in twenty twenty, similar to now, I
was really frustrated and I found myself online reading a
(06:46):
lot of hate and responding in the same way. And
I just one day felt so unproductive in what I
was doing and just was like, why am I down
this rabbit hole of nonsense? And I really thought every
time I got fueled with rage, because it did get
fueled with rage, that I just did something until I
(07:07):
wasn't angry anymore, and then the next day did the
same thing. And then what if it was like a
ripple effect? What if we could do that to other people?
And every time we all got angry at systems and things,
we stopped talking and we went and did stuff. Whatever
that is and whatever avenue that's important to you. Imagine
the world of change that would be we would be
(07:28):
living in, and imagine the problems that wouldn't be happening
because we would all be focusing on a little bit,
even if it's just helping one person a day. If
everyone did that, I do think that everyone would be here.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Let me preface also that she did something proactive, constructive.
She didn't do in destructively like take people's food benefits away.
She did things to become part of the solution, not
part of the problem. But also I wanted to bring
out to that our society and its historical moments that
we are facing I once in a lifetime pandemic, We're
(07:59):
facing instability in our electoral system, We're dealing with climate
emergencies are more increasingly often, and so it leaves us
always seemingly on the back foot. But one thing that
I do really call and I will bring this into
a more of a unifying note, is that no matter
what station of life, what part of life you're in,
(08:23):
what walk of life you're in, one thing that we
all have in common. You know, it's not we all
bleed read, That's not it. We all have to eat
and we need to have food to sustain us. And
because I had lived on the streets of over eight
years and I have medical condition of diabetes, there's places,
there are things that needs to happen in order to
maintain equilibrium of human bodies, and people that are unable
(08:48):
to do so face higher health risk. But I'm digressing.
So I was witnessing you guys were on CNN, and
can you tell us a little bit about what the
CNN interview with about and then we can take that
to the second question I have.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Sure to me, CNN was about Everyday Action having a
platform to grow. You know, we're a grassroots nonprofit that's
always fought for funding, so I saw it as a
platform for us to be able to get recognition and
more of everything, more volunteers, more donations, more food donations,
and the ability to grow. I think that Everyody Action
is a really scalable platform. We get asked all the time,
(09:25):
can we go to other states and cities. We definitely
want to do that. I just can't forget how to
do that till we're funded. So CNN for us is
really about an opportunity. It was really great for them
to tell our story. It was actually fun for Sam
and I working in film production because it was a
very skeleton crew, So getting to work with that crew
on a really intimate level kind of brought us back
to our roots a bit. And we went to the
(09:47):
sound stage where it was all created. So that was
all really nice to kind of bring the whole story
full circle.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
When I mentioned how we all are in and facing
the instability of this administration and the financial downlo turn,
you mentioned a bit about your careers and how you
guys had that. Has that impacted a little bit on
how you're viewing food and I won't say job in security,
but both. Basically it is jobs in security, but food
(10:13):
and security definitely ties into it because if you don't
have a job, you know, you're going to have to
need to eat. You know, you can't eat air sandwich,
as my mother says, So oh.
Speaker 5 (10:21):
One thousand percent. You know, our industry has taken a
real hit in the last few years and we definitely
felt it. You know, we were working full time on
set when we started this, and I don't know how
we did it. We didn't sleep for three and a
half years, but you know, we had full time jobs
and now we've had to transition to where this is
our full time job. Although it needs our attention one
(10:43):
thousand percent, it's also that those opportunities to sort of
split like that has you know, it's really waned in
the last few years. So yeah, there's a massive job
in security in our industry and we've really felt it ourselves,
and we know everyone across the board in every department
has also felt it as well.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
And that's something that we work as an organization to
solve and have work to solve from the beginning. So
we pay a stipeend to production assistants and background artists
and really anyone that's struggling at the moment, because it
is a really big pool. It's not getting smaller, it's
only getting larger. Unfortunately, production isn't a big shift. So
we are trying as quickly as we can to get
(11:22):
our film Industry Driver Program fully funded because we'd love
for it to be a place that anyone in the
business can call any day of the week and say, hey,
I need to work today. You know, they can work
for four to six hours going right to a film set,
delivering food right to an organization in need. It's a
really great way to give back and also give back
to yourself because it is really hard to live in
Los Angeles and our business is ever changing, and even
(11:43):
I think once it does settle back, it's not going
to look the same as it was posts or prior
to all the strikes, prior to this massive change.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Yeah, and give in a shout out to our Driver program.
You know, when we started it, it was only open
to production assistants and background actors. People don't know those
are the lowest paid positions on a film set. Okay,
So we always knew that we wanted to give back
to our own industry as well as you know, we
just wanted to do everything.
Speaker 6 (12:10):
We're i DS.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
We want to solve as many things as possible, So
we knew that we wanted to give back within our
industry in that way. For me personally, those two positions
of humans helped build my career, so we really know
that they are just the absolute backbone of the industry,
and that's why we created the program. You know, we
really wanted to highlight that it takes a special skill
(12:32):
to be around a sets. You know, it really does.
You can't just show up and ask where the food is.
It really takes a bit of navigation and set knowledge
and to be able to have people be able to
translate those skills into a job that's something for good
and it's something that can supplement their income as they're struggling.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
It just it made sense to us.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
It is an innovative way of determining mutual aid and
that's you know, mutual aid has always got to find
a nature hole and be creative of feeling that hole
and also offering dignity and mutual sense of service for
both parties. One of the things I wanted to asks
because I think i'd recently seen because if you know,
(13:13):
there's been a downturn in the field, there's been a
couple of places I've seen where people I think this
Genma is he's in Vegas, I believe, and he was
in the field and he's currently living in his van
and he's trying to create a tiny home somewhere in Florida.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
There are more and more, which is why I do the.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Show, to show that on the face of houselessness looks
completely different than what people have imagined. Many people only
see people that are enduring street houselessness and not understanding
the decline and how far it has to be to
you deceive that there are people that are actively fighting
it as best as they can. And he was mentioning
(13:54):
it was very art with because he does door dash too.
And there was another young lady. She was in the industry,
I believe she does our being hairstylists or whatever, and
she's too, is living in a car but worries but
she's not in the States that her car is breaking
down and it's going to become an extra.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Hurdle in order to get out of the situation.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Have you been across any of the other community on
house or housing secure people in.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Your field, people who have had to they don't have housing,
and they also have had to leave the state because
they can't physically afford to live here and they don't
have a place to go or housing as a result. No,
there's a massive housing crisis within our business, and people
who just don't know what to do. Beyond housing, it's
also health insurance. You know, our health insurance is based
(14:40):
on the hours that you work. If you're not working,
you don't have health insurance. So that is now becoming
a massive crisis as people are done with their you
knows it's expired. No one really has it anymore if
you were working. So now it's just a panic time.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
And it's also a critical time because of the fact
that the administration that we have now or the regime
has taking an active disdain toward poor people. And and
I just no other polite way of saying this. Anytime
that you have a president of the United States, no
matter how you believe that certain people are taking advantage
(15:15):
of the system, that you will go to court to
sue to stop feeding people in the country and taking
a weather health assurance or fighting against them getting reasonable
or dignified living existence. We cannot ignore this. I have
to bring this to the forefront of that. How do
(15:36):
you see this impacting. Do you feel that the nonprofit
is going to be needing and be a higher demand
or is it going to feel that it's going to
be too overwhelming.
Speaker 6 (15:45):
I definitely think it's going to be incredibly overwhelming.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
I think that our system has always been in a
really unstable spot and that we need a change in that,
which is why every reaction exists. It's to make that
change and to be a change that you want, because
I don't think it's going to come from I don't
think the system is actually going to change. So on
a local level, if we focus on what we can
change locally, we band together locally. I think that's how
(16:09):
you stand up against systems that you don't agree with.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Yeah, you know, for us, we always wanted to inspire community,
and I don't see any other way forward for us
as a country other than banding together as communities to
take care of each other. You know, for us, that
action is every day for a reason, because you have
to take care of, you know, each other every day.
(16:32):
We have felt that the demand for us has been
only a crescendo since we've started. I don't feel that
we've ever had a downturn, so we're already feeling it.
It's overwhelming to think of how much more is going
to come our way.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
Like our beneficiary map I think has over one hundred
and fifty organizations on it, we can only really support
thirty to forty per year. You know, there's many organizations
Sam and I meet that make out our map. We
just don't have the capacity to serve. And that's always
hard for Samini and that's kind of what's always driven
everybody action. Our van is called Lady Row really saying
not today but maybe tomorrow, is like always working towards
(17:11):
cycle of tomorrow. But it's definitely only getting worse, and
we're trying to band together and making much change as
quickly as possible. We're working on a warehouse it's called
the Food and Security Shared Hub that's in partnership with
for other nonprofits and that's really working on collaboration and
will hopefully allow for us to take more food donations,
will hopefully increase our driver program. You know, we're only
(17:32):
trying to provide more jobs and reallocate more food. To me,
the statement that people are hungry in America is the
dumbest thing you can say. There's a grocery store everywhere.
There's some systematic flaw that's preventing food from getting to
people who need it. So we need to create systems
that we use food instead of throwing it out, because
we also have a massive waste issue. So we just
(17:53):
need to break that cycle and put them in another way,
which I feel like Everydy Action does really well.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
So walking through how does people sign up to get
into Everyday Action?
Speaker 5 (18:04):
So they sign up with us online and then our
amazing volunteer coordinator, Andrew takes them through the whole volunteer
process of paperwork, and then they're handed over to me
for scheduling and I schedule them with an experienced driver
or myself. Sometimes it's always a surprise and they get
to do their first training one with someone they meet up.
(18:26):
You can go together or you can ride separately, it
doesn't matter. You just go through the actions together. Action
it's my theme today. So you go through the action together.
You show up, you pick up the food, and then
you take it to a drop off spot. I have
a suggested drop off spot, but you also can choose
a spot on the map. So we really kind of
leave it up to our drivers. We really want to
(18:48):
give a lot of independent star drivers and just freedom
so you can sort of pick up this job, do
it for a few hours, then go back to another
job if you need. It's one of those things you
can volunteer for and do a few hours. You know,
I can give you one run. You do that for
a couple hours and you're done. It's very it's very
straightforward and I'm pretty simple. The only thing that is
(19:08):
sort of influx is timing because the film industry and
TV industry.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
Is never on time.
Speaker 5 (19:14):
I can't say never, but more often than not, you know,
timing shifts, so you just have to be a little
fluid and flexible.
Speaker 6 (19:20):
That's all we ask.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
And really, for me, every time I've ever felt bad
like quitting just everything and really hopeless, I will force
myself out from behind the desk and go and do
a pickup myself. Sometimes it's to save us a little
money so we can have more to put back in
the driver program. And sometimes it's because I genuinely need
(19:43):
it myself. And I can tell you that I've never
walked away from a run. Even after I broke my
finger on a fridge store this summer, I still didn't
walk away from any of that with anything but thankfulness
and gratefulness and honestly doing this work it BLUs you
a lot more than those you're blessing. You think that
you're helping others, but you're also really really helping yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
That's the essence of mutual eight.
Speaker 6 (20:07):
Yes, yes, it is.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
What challenges do you see in the program that you
wish could be undone or rectified in a way that
it's beneficial and also it doesn't reoccur.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
I mean, we've always struggled with packaging. So in individual
food there's packaging which is further waste. So we always
want to try for that packaging to be the most
environmentally friendly as possible. Currently, World Centric really supports us
in that effort. But we always have a lot of packaging,
and it varies if it's on in catering trades or
an individual so finding way to streamline that. Also, we
(20:40):
have a lot of stuff operationally, we have scales, we
have thermometers, we have a lot of equipment that a
lot of people use.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
It's hard to keep track of, so, you.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Know, systems to keep track of the things we do internally.
Data has always been a challenge and a struggle as
a nonprofit. You know, it first started with Samini and
a Gmail calendar and just post it notes, and then
after that was over ten thousand meals, realized that was
not going to work. You know.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
We moved to then.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Excel, a spreadsheet that our previous board member and president
Laney developed and really helped get our data to a
certain point. We've then now switched to an app program
this company, Hyperniche that's helping develop our app and create
a system where we can really log meals real time.
But we have a volunteer team that helps us do that,
so we're just a little bit behind. So just really
(21:27):
getting operational support for everyday action so that we can
continue the work that we're doing and continue expanding because
we've always expanded while we've been growing at the same
time and that's hard to keep up with and we
just need to be able to like have the support
so we can keep doing what we're doing because it
always keeps growing.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
It always keeps getting bigger well, and.
Speaker 5 (21:46):
People are always really surprised that it's just the two
of us and you know, and a few like volunteers
who support us. Like, we've really not had a whole
lot of like internal structural support. So while it's like
really impressive that we could do that, it wouldn't be
It would have been so much more helpful to have,
you know, those structures sort of built first. But you know,
(22:08):
it just the time didn't call for that. And I
don't think there's anything bad about the way we've run
it either. You know, we've been able to do it.
It's really impressive that, you know, our small little team
of drivers have reallocated over one hundred thousand pounds of
food this year so far, you know, in the year's
not over yet. It's amazing to me sometimes that little
team will move thousands of pounds of food and I'm
(22:30):
right there alongside with them carrying it. And you know,
those are the only things that I can think of too,
that I would change for us. Other than that, you know,
I would love to have the driver program at a
higher stipend rate, you know, but that's also something that
is something we always had to grow into. It's never
something we could just sort of start out, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And I think also when it first started, Sam Andi
and a few of our drivers were able to go
directly more to encampments were of people that were living
on the streets, and we've had to pivot a bit
with our food to support organizations that then feed people
who are coming into there. I would love to have
the abiliting network to continue to go back and do both,
to be in those organizations and have the abuilding capacity
(23:10):
to also spend one or two days a week also
going street by street, ten.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
By ten when we come back more on their work.
Welcome back to Weedian House. I'm THEO Henderson. Let's get
back into the conversation with Hillary and Sam from Everyday Action.
I know due to this weekend and being at the
Jaytown Action Solidarity Mutual Aid, the doubling of people coming
(23:39):
from not just in our community but all over trying
to get food and needing food and hungry, and I
was wondering, how do you guys reconcile? That is, if
you guys are going to try to find out you
can serve both communities and that doesn't have to be
one or the other.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
So yeah, we try to really deliver to organizations that
are serving directly to those communities, and LA community for
which are located all over the city, is where a
lot of our food goes anyone can access. We support
that every week, so that's a place where anyone who's
struggling on the street can go directly and take that
food right out.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
And enjoy it.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Really, you know, like Hillary is saying, it also depends
on how we receive the food. You know, I can't
just send a whole tray to someone who's in house
who has no refrigeration and no way to even portion
it out and split it up. So for us, that's
been you know, that's been quite limiting. But you know,
I know that we have a few volunteers and drivers
who still pound the streets and will go and donate
(24:34):
the food themselves. I try to whenever I can as well,
especially when I'm driving the van. I just how can
I pass someone in the branded van and have no meals,
which happens a lot sadly, but I at least try
to have some socks on me. But we want to
help as many people as we can across many different
varieties of food insecurity. If you're a house, if you're
(24:55):
on housed, it doesn't matter how you look. We've always
said I don't need your paperwork. I don't need to
know anything except I need to know you're hungry.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Well, if we're dealing with nonprofit now, you're probably going
to have to find some kind of way to keep
sustain that. But yeah, when you first in the grassroots era,
the need is there and you're not focused on watching
your pockets or you know, or checking every box.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
So I definitely understand that our.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
Warehouse is actually going to also increase that as well.
Like Sam said, we can't drop off a catering tray
and we currently have no way to open it. But
hopefully when the warehouse is open, we'll be able to
take those trays, open them, and then individually packaged the
meals like we want to so that we can distribute
them more directly.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
That's my goodness. So you guys have been here for
a little bit of a while. Did you guys start
during the pandemic or before the pandemic?
Speaker 5 (25:43):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Yeah, deep COVID twenty twenty. Sam and I were out
there with hamming whole masks. We look like the people
from Me Tea coming at you and.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
Chased down our first person we ever gave food too,
because we look so terrifying and our plastic face shield and.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
Kitchen rubber gloves.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Yeah, and starting in a pandemic has been always interesting, right,
because we we thrived in this horrible time and a
lot of nonprofits struggled to continue functioning, so we kind
of filled a gap during that period. So it's we
don't know how to work not in crisis because we
started in extreme crisis. So when we came out of
COVID and suddenly like food was less restrictive, we were like,
(26:25):
oh right, it's not always like this, and things are different,
you know. Originally everything was individually packaged because at that
time in COVID everything had to be so we had
a lot more individual meals, and then after COVID a
lot of that went back to catering trades.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
And I was that too, and I was literally on
the street during the COVID time. It was a lot
of mis information and it was a lot to be
learned about COVID, So a lot of places they just
stopped because that they rather aired on the side of
cost than being on the news. Next thing, this group
feeding people and like all of the unhouse community just
drops dead from COVID. It was a lot of that,
(27:01):
and it was a lot of hunger, you know. And
I remember I had a broken leg and I was
trying to navigate the places where I had to even
just go to the bathroom, and then navigating going to
stores or supermarkets and looking at and the scale a
panic that people that were there. And even if you
(27:21):
did have like what I did, I had SNAP. And
even if I did have SNAP and be able to
rely on the things, people were hoarding it so I
couldn't get it anyway. So it was essential that other groups,
other mutual a groups that were able to have food
and be able to be flexible, fluid in the matter,
be able to sustain us until people resolve their scarcity
(27:44):
index panic and be able to go to stores or
try to find off the mall stores to be able
who would accept gr which I was glad they started
to let other stores accept it because of the bestivity
of where certain stores were. You know, we couldn't just
go into it for hot deal. And if you didn't
understand there's a lot of restrictions to JR Snap and
(28:05):
people just think you're just eating steak and lobster and
junk food and things like that, not understanding contacts and
nuanced It's just, you know, just another reason just to
blame and just point feeders and hate on people. But
the morning the point of it is is that there
are places on Snap that you could go to have
hot meals and they were shut down.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
They were not feeding anybody.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Because again they didn't know how to reconcile the reality
of what COVID was. So you had to find very
creative ways to feed yourself or have someone feeds you,
or find places. And I have to take another shout
out to Melissosadero with Polo Pantry, which really had stepped
up when other places were unable to create a feeding
(28:46):
schedule or creating situations where unhoused people before which is
not a common known fact that a lot on house
that did have COVID were not allowed to intermingle with
house people with COVID. They were sent on the ship
out to the Queen Mary and put out there in
the distance. So those little known facts really revolved a
(29:07):
while and how we had to navigate to defeat them
and also be able to meet the need and stay
safe as well.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
You know, one thing we found really surprising is how
people actually were much better at social distancing. When we
would hand out meals on the street, people were very
conscious of what was going on. You know, everyone acted
like Dan has you know, had no idea and a
thousand percent they did. Everyone was very very polite and
(29:35):
would keep their distance when we'd hand out meals. For me, personally,
I have a family member who struggled with houselessness and
because of you know, mental illness, and to be honest,
every time I look at someone, I just see them
as someone's family member, regardless of what you are anything
like if your house or on house, it doesn't matter.
You're a human. Everyone is a human, and I think
(29:58):
we really sort of lose that when we have these
stigmas and have these you know, thoughts of like, oh,
you know, they would know what's happening. Of course, of
course everyone knew what was going on. And you know,
if anything, I felt more comfortable handing out meals to
the in house than I did in the regular grocery store,
to be honest, and people were nicer.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
And not only that, it's like because of the delicacy
of how our health you know, being out here. Yes,
it's much more vulnerable than I would say, I dare
say house and housing secure people because we know if
we get a sniffle or a food we're down for
the count.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
And not only that, then we also.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Have to face the scorge of the law enforcement people
that don't like on house people. And it's never great
because I've interviewed people that forced a stage for cancer
and things like that. It is never a good idea,
never a good thing to be vulnerable, be very sick
out on the street because you're susubptitual to anything from
(30:58):
physical health wise, so you know they're going to be
very much more heavily guarded on their health. Yes, you know,
I have to say that is true.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
I think it's also important to ask what people need.
Like a lot of what Samini saw on the fire
response was a lot of like here, this is what
you need, and a lot of things that were donated
weren't things that actually could be used. And Samini reactually
reallocated from several pop up fire stores. It just had
a bunch of stuff wasn't really helpful, and I think
That's something that we've always really focused on is listening
(31:26):
to what people need and trying to adapt that support
based on what people need, as opposed to just showing
up and being like, here's what we got.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
You know, ballet slippers are not needed. And really I
say that because I did a comic about it and
people were just using the reason if someone passes away
in the house whatever, just to dump everything and think
on house. People would just be, oh, great, we'll be
valating on down the street while we're hungry.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
So that doesn't not helpful. That's not going to be
a help.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Yeah. Sometimes we feel like, you know, people sort of
inadvertently will treat us like a trash can you know,
here's everything, here's don't you want this? Here are these
chairs that were probably urinated on by many animals.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
Who knows somewhere considered right like no.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
No, yeah, so I mentioned your earlier origin story. Where
do you see yourself with everyday action and five years?
Speaker 4 (32:27):
I mean, ultimately I want our warehouse to be up
and running. We really want to help support food reallocation
on a citywide and statewide level. Again, I don't understand
why people are hungry in America. So it's like solving
that problem, working with all the other nonprofits in Los
Angeles and the Food Recovery Alliance and helping to solve
that as a team, because everyday action certainly is not
going to do it by yourself, and then expanding that
(32:49):
concept to places that are willing and enable. You know,
it's like, if this concept works as we if a
city are able to figure it out, then we should
just replicate that so that we can help solve hunger
across the United States. So I think that, you know,
being a part of that conversation is definitely something that
we want to do. Our warehouse is going to evolve,
hopefully to be able to serve food on some fridays.
We want to have a community fridge out front of
(33:10):
our own to be able to put our own food in.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
So it's really evolving that.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
Warehouse space be able to support as much of the
community as we can, and then if that continues to
grow again, just kind of continuing across the US and
helping to solve and hunger.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
That wasn't something you mentioned earlier a few minutes ago
about community fridge. That was a bit in an everyday
occurrence during pandemic and the city started to crack down
and start throwing food or you know which is again,
it is always amazing how the government is always a
part of the destructive, but never something that's going to
be constructive to meet the moment. And so are you
(33:44):
worried that the city is going to pick up the
same actipathy that they had with you guys doing the
community fridges.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Well, in California, SB thirteen eighty three exists, which is
actually a law center bill that it requires food to
be reallocated. So in Los Angeles it's something that they're
actively striving to support.
Speaker 5 (34:05):
The Bill Emerson Good Samariton Act also makes it not
illegal to donate food. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act.
It's also federal now and it protects you from don
from doing anything good for someone, especially food donation. But
if you stop to help someone, it's still Good Samaritan law.
(34:25):
That's that's the whole point behind it. And it's been
a i think sort of a corporate you know, lie,
dare I say that just to you know, protect like
liability and for us, you know, we have a donation
agreement for him and many other food recovery services and
organizations do as well, and we also personally carry our
(34:48):
own customized liability policy to help protect our donors and
also make that whole process, you know, much more easy
and give our donors a lot of peace of mind
with the legalities of it. But at the end of
the day, it's not illegal to donate food. It's not
illegal to give someone food, go out and get someone
a sandwich, it's not illegal.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
And it's actually the same thing as Postmates, Grubhub, any
of those situations. Right, No one when you're hunger at
your home ordering pizza does someone show up and say, well,
this food isn't actually at temperature and I don't really
think that you should have it, and like how long
are you going to keep it in refrigerator to eat it? Again,
it's only people who don't have access, But there's suddenly
all these requirements to the things that we just simply need.
(35:30):
But if you can pay for it, that doesn't seem
to be as much regulation. So that's something that I
really hope everyday Action challenges. The mindset is that it's
the same as any of those other circumstances. It's just
for people who can't afford it. And it should exist.
It should be free because food should be like you
said at the beginning, everyone needs to eat. So it's
stupid that it's not accessible to all.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
And the reason that and I point this out is
because of our society who has always say it's easy
to demonize before we can crimine people. And I've seen
in other states that they have aggressively come after people
trying to feed people that are hungry. And that's like
where our government and law enforcements they feel that function is.
(36:14):
It's like the vulnerability there's insecurity or there's hunger. This
is where we will just descend on the populace that
need it the most, and knowing that they cannot fight back,
they will use those policies to create a more dystopian
reality for them.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
So well, and there's gaps in between support, right, It's
like you get to one level and then you make
one dollar more, you fall right back to the same
place you started. So it's not really a cycle build
to get anyone anywhere. It's just meant to kind of
take you to one place and put.
Speaker 6 (36:43):
You right back.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Absolutely, wow, this is giving me a lot into us.
So are you guys excited for the Heroes banquet.
Speaker 6 (36:51):
Hell where you got to go? So I'm really excited
for her. I am excited.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
It is something that was sort of a dream from
the beginning, and by acts, it didn't this did start,
I mean sewing face masks and a whole other story.
And during that time, I was watching a lot of
CNN being very angry, and there was a lot of
similar stuff going on. It was a time of George
Floyd and I was really really angry and I felt
like I had marched, I had done all those things
(37:15):
and nothing was changing. So I am excited because I
want to tell people to put their phone down and listen.
And I think it's important and I think if we
actually did that, there would be an epic change. And
I think the generation below us really needs to put
the phone down.
Speaker 5 (37:31):
Yeah, the same night, I'll actually be at the PVS
SoCal dinner, so oh yeah.
Speaker 6 (37:35):
So I'm really excited.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Such a modesty they have.
Speaker 5 (37:40):
Like you know, they have so many little awards that
they have, like a I think it's like the Community
Heroes Award that night, and you know, for me, that's
really full circle too.
Speaker 6 (37:49):
I'm excited.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
I'm I'm I'm missing CNN but you know, we divide
and conquer since we started, so we're doing it again.
Speaker 6 (37:56):
It's okay, But I'm really.
Speaker 5 (37:58):
Excited because I grew up on PBS of course, and
you know, for me, my my dad was an emmigrant
and he actually started a soup kitchen in my hometown,
so I grew up, you know, delivering meals to people
at least once a week, sometimes cooking in the in
the kitchen with everyone. So I've always grown up with
love as an expression, and I'm really excited. This is
(38:22):
like a whole full circle moment for me too, you know,
to be a part.
Speaker 6 (38:26):
Of like PBS two is so big.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
I you know, I love the public broadcasting system from
you know, from childhood. So it's a it's like both
of our dreams get to come true the same night.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Hello, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Toe, It's a really same time. It always happens with Samini,
but it's co founders. Things tend to fall in the
same darn day.
Speaker 6 (38:47):
It's a bummer.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
At least you guys are getting your name out there
and people are starting to take notice. I took notice
when I seen you guys seeing in real I'm like, oh,
you know, and I've always on the lookout. You tried
to reach in other areas and also reach people that
don't know of course of my show to see that.
You know, houselessness looks completely different. It's not always the
(39:10):
person that you're seeing out there on the street, and
their story is important, just as other unhoused people interfolded
into society trying to make it. You know where I
started as on housed. I was unhoused over eight years
and I was an educator and people would always try
to make me as a mascot or a person that
(39:31):
wanted to be out there. Even my closest friends started
that kind of narrative, and it showed the depth of
ignorance that it's going on with houselessness. You're a medical
emergency away, which is what happened to me. You know,
if you don't have independent, wealthy family members, you're going
to be on the street and you don't have Even
if you did and they just own, then that's a
(39:52):
different conversation. But the point of it is there are
society is always geared up for attacking vulnerable or economically
insecure people to always be on this hamster wheel of
trying to stay off of it because most people that
start to look down on other poor people, they don't
want to be associated or be judged because they know
(40:15):
how hostile our society is, which is a sad statement,
but I digress.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Actually, one thing that like everybody action was founding and
that I've always wanted to I guess get out. There's like,
why is it so scary to help someone because you're
afraid of what's going to happen to you?
Speaker 6 (40:29):
Like that's always really bothered me. In the beginning.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
There was many sets that were like, oh, we can't
donate our food because something bad might happen, And it's like,
but something great might happen.
Speaker 6 (40:38):
You might feed a bunch of people too, So.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
Let's look at it from that side instead of assuming
that like all these bad things are just going to
happen because you helped someone today.
Speaker 5 (40:46):
Yeah, absolutely well, and you know, for us, you know,
we always wanted to give with dignity as well. You know,
I love when people ask us, what can you know?
What can we do? Well, if you don't volunteer with us,
you don't have to do this. This is our everyday action.
You can do something very simple. I would just challenge
(41:07):
you to take your leftovers from that restaurant that you
ate at, and go and say hello and introduce yourself
to that person that you didn't want to look in
the eye when you walked in that restaurant, and hand
them your leftovers and just have a quick, short conversation
with them. You know, you can't imagine how many people
have probably walked by this human human and not looked
(41:28):
at them and just pretended they didn't exist. So go
say hello, and go go give some kindness and some food.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Yeah, services the wrist that you pay on earth. So
it is very true.
Speaker 5 (41:40):
And I think small changes like that are the way
we create big change, you know, just small increments. It
is easy to see all the negativity behind the systems
that are really set up to make us all fail
and to trap you know, anyone who gets caught in it.
But we can change, and the change starts with each
of us.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
I think I have exhausted every question I asked, and
I didn't want to come off rude. So if there's
anything that I'm missed, so please let me know. So
is there any closing remarks that you elct to make?
Speaker 4 (42:13):
No, just thank you for having us, you know, I
really feel that unhoused people also have a really loud
story and we need to tell it. So thank you
for telling people's story. Thank you for continuing to fight
for people who don't have a voice, and for seeing everyone.
I mean, it's really an honor to be here.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Thank you as honor as mine as well.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
So yeah, most of my pickups I actually tune into
your podcast listen to you, so thank you for keeping
us informed of the news that's out there and what's happening.
And you've also you know, traveled around quite a bit too,
so I really love hearing stories you know, from across
the country too. So it's it's just really beautiful what
(42:52):
you're doing, and we're just really grateful to be a
part of it. So it's a huge honor. It's like
being on a TV show you're a fan of, say well.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Thank you. That's such a kind thing to say.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
Well, I am excited, I'm glad, and I hope you
guys if you guys ever have time to come back
on my show anytime.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
Thanks so much to Sam and Hillary from Everyday Action.
You can learn more about their works at the link
in the description. To end this episode, I will leave
you with the quote from Maya Angelo try to be
a rainbow in someone's cloud. Thank you to Everyday Action,
(43:35):
nominated to be seeing N's Hero of the Year for
being the rainbow in someone's cloud. Finally, thank you for
listening in. If you have a story you like to share,
please reach out to me at Wiedianhouse at gmail dot
com or Widianhowees on Instagram. Until the end, may we
again meet in the light of understanding. William Howes is
(44:02):
a production of iHeartRadio. It is written, hosted, and created
by me Theo Henderson, our producers Jamie Loftus, Hayley Fager,
Katie Fischer, and Lyra Smith. Our editor is Adam Wand,
our engineer is Joel Jerome, and our local art is
also by Katie Fisher.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Thank you for listening
Previously on Weedian House.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
We often say an Indian country that being Indian and
identity is very complex, and there's a lot of reasons
for that, you know, having to do with the historical
processes of colonization, you know, settler colonialism, being dispossessed. So
you know, I mean, I'm thinking about the theme of
this podcast, I'm being unhoused and the through lines of that,
(00:28):
like what does it have to do well. Native American
people in this country are the first unhoused people. We
are the first people to be rendered homeless, to be
dispossessed of our lands. And it's that beginning point that
creates all the other problems that we have, including the
problems of identity.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Welcome to Wittian House. I'm your host, Theo Henderson. I'm excited.
We have two guests today from every Day Action, a
nonprofit that has been nominated for CNN's Hero of the
Year award.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
But first on House News.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
This is an open invitation please come join us at
the opening of Shirley's Free Food Hub. It's going to
be held Sunday, January fourth, twenty twenty six, from two
pm to four pm at thirty eight forty nine mount
Clair Street, Los Angeles, California, nine zero zero one eight.
(01:45):
This event will be the opening of the community fridge
and pantry named in honor of Shirley Chisholm and her
lifelong commitment to community care. Please bring a potluck, dish
or food donation for the fridge if you like. Our
next story takes us to Newport Beach, California.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Due to the Grass.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Pass ruley and the increased anti camping laws in Newport Beach,
they plan to withdraw from the Band and Bridge shelter program.
The shelter opened in twenty twenty one with seventy two
beds for the unhoused community. The original cost was one
point six million dollars. Newport Beach city officials negotiated with
(02:30):
Costa Mesa to give up access of all of its
allocated shelter beds by twenty twenty seven, and that's on
house dues. When we come back, I speak with the
team behind Everyday Action and learn how they are distributing
(02:51):
leftover food from Hollywood film sets.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Welcome back to Willian House. I'm Theo Henderson.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
This episode epitomizes Maya Angelo's quote, we delight in the
beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it
has gone through to achieve that beauty. Our guests today,
samlu and Hilary Cohen, embodied the transformation it takes to
meet the needs of the Hungary during the pandemic and
beyond their nonprofit everyday action is the butterfly that went
(03:27):
through the chrysalis of change. Here is their story. This
is theo Henderson from Weedian House. And we have an
exciting couple of people here that is meeting the moment
and when I say meeting the meeting the moment of
we are in such chaos and particularly in large part
(03:51):
due to the administration that we have, and if you
have missed it or you've been living under a rock,
you understand that we are in the throws of the
death nail of feeding instability, that's what I would like
to call it. And our own administration sued poor people
to not feed them. Let me repeat that so you understand.
(04:13):
The Trump administration, the president of the United States, sued
to not feed over forty two million Americans. They fought
tooth and nail and not feeding when the government was
in the shutdown, So that means there was at least
over twenty two million children that were starving. There were
adults that were starving, there were disabled people that were starving,
(04:34):
and they were just equile body people starving as well.
The fact remains that this is the statement, This is
the metaphor that people who said that they didn't know
Trump was going to be like this what they've been
voted for three times. This person voted for well, this
person accepted the vitriol and the disdain that he has
for vulnerable people, food and secure and income secure people
(04:59):
that do boom and gloom or doom.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Scrolling kind of introduction.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I will try to lift this moment up to a
little bit more of an upbeat type of tempo. We
have two people that are meeting is a moment. I'm
going to let them introduce themselves and then from there
we're going to have a conversation about how critical this
moment is here in Los Angeles and how also we
can do it from the micro to the macro without
further dude, welcome, my two guests.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Please introduce yourselves.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Well, I'm Hillary and I'm Sam and we're the co
founders of Everyday Action. And Everyday Action is a nonprofit
that was founded a little over five years ago, and
we focus on reallocating food from fem MTV sets, but
also other events, grocery stores and more across a ninety
mile area of outreach to people in need, the people
who are in house, and people who are struggling with
(05:46):
food insecurity.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Yeah, we are a food recovery service and our services
also provide that recovered food over to other nonprofits and
other organizations that have food programs or inherited it. That
happens with a lot of a lot of different nonprofits
and programs, so we're really helping stretch their dollar as
well while also you know, saving the planet and you know,
(06:11):
helping food waste get reduced as well as food and security.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I would like to also add more bang for the
book because of what's going on, the food is really
needed and in particularly in this time Hillary.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Yeah, I want to get back to what you said
about Action and that's where Everyday Action kind of came from,
and it was founded in twenty twenty. To me, a
similar time of now where there's a lot of need
and a lot of areas and a lot of places
to give back, and it's hard to figure out what
to do. And in twenty twenty, similar to now, I
was really frustrated and I found myself online reading a
(06:46):
lot of hate and responding in the same way. And
I just one day felt so unproductive in what I
was doing and just was like, why am I down
this rabbit hole of nonsense? And I really thought every
time I got fueled with rage, because it did get
fueled with rage, that I just did something until I
(07:07):
wasn't angry anymore, and then the next day did the
same thing. And then what if it was like a
ripple effect? What if we could do that to other people?
And every time we all got angry at systems and things,
we stopped talking and we went and did stuff. Whatever
that is and whatever avenue that's important to you. Imagine
the world of change that would be we would be
(07:28):
living in, and imagine the problems that wouldn't be happening
because we would all be focusing on a little bit,
even if it's just helping one person a day. If
everyone did that, I do think that everyone would be here.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Let me preface also that she did something proactive, constructive.
She didn't do in destructively like take people's food benefits away.
She did things to become part of the solution, not
part of the problem. But also I wanted to bring
out to that our society and its historical moments that
we are facing I once in a lifetime pandemic, We're
(07:59):
facing instability in our electoral system, We're dealing with climate
emergencies are more increasingly often, and so it leaves us
always seemingly on the back foot. But one thing that
I do really call and I will bring this into
a more of a unifying note, is that no matter
what station of life, what part of life you're in,
(08:23):
what walk of life you're in, one thing that we
all have in common. You know, it's not we all
bleed read, That's not it. We all have to eat
and we need to have food to sustain us. And
because I had lived on the streets of over eight
years and I have medical condition of diabetes, there's places,
there are things that needs to happen in order to
maintain equilibrium of human bodies, and people that are unable
(08:48):
to do so face higher health risk. But I'm digressing.
So I was witnessing you guys were on CNN, and
can you tell us a little bit about what the
CNN interview with about and then we can take that
to the second question I have.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Sure to me, CNN was about Everyday Action having a
platform to grow. You know, we're a grassroots nonprofit that's
always fought for funding, so I saw it as a
platform for us to be able to get recognition and
more of everything, more volunteers, more donations, more food donations,
and the ability to grow. I think that Everyody Action
is a really scalable platform. We get asked all the time,
(09:25):
can we go to other states and cities. We definitely
want to do that. I just can't forget how to
do that till we're funded. So CNN for us is
really about an opportunity. It was really great for them
to tell our story. It was actually fun for Sam
and I working in film production because it was a
very skeleton crew, So getting to work with that crew
on a really intimate level kind of brought us back
to our roots a bit. And we went to the
(09:47):
sound stage where it was all created. So that was
all really nice to kind of bring the whole story
full circle.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
When I mentioned how we all are in and facing
the instability of this administration and the financial downlo turn,
you mentioned a bit about your careers and how you
guys had that. Has that impacted a little bit on
how you're viewing food and I won't say job in security,
but both. Basically it is jobs in security, but food
(10:13):
and security definitely ties into it because if you don't
have a job, you know, you're going to have to
need to eat. You know, you can't eat air sandwich,
as my mother says, So oh.
Speaker 5 (10:21):
One thousand percent. You know, our industry has taken a
real hit in the last few years and we definitely
felt it. You know, we were working full time on
set when we started this, and I don't know how
we did it. We didn't sleep for three and a
half years, but you know, we had full time jobs
and now we've had to transition to where this is
our full time job. Although it needs our attention one
(10:43):
thousand percent, it's also that those opportunities to sort of
split like that has you know, it's really waned in
the last few years. So yeah, there's a massive job
in security in our industry and we've really felt it ourselves,
and we know everyone across the board in every department
has also felt it as well.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
And that's something that we work as an organization to
solve and have work to solve from the beginning. So
we pay a stipeend to production assistants and background artists
and really anyone that's struggling at the moment, because it
is a really big pool. It's not getting smaller, it's
only getting larger. Unfortunately, production isn't a big shift. So
we are trying as quickly as we can to get
(11:22):
our film Industry Driver Program fully funded because we'd love
for it to be a place that anyone in the
business can call any day of the week and say, hey,
I need to work today. You know, they can work
for four to six hours going right to a film set,
delivering food right to an organization in need. It's a
really great way to give back and also give back
to yourself because it is really hard to live in
Los Angeles and our business is ever changing, and even
(11:43):
I think once it does settle back, it's not going
to look the same as it was posts or prior
to all the strikes, prior to this massive change.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Yeah, and give in a shout out to our Driver program.
You know, when we started it, it was only open
to production assistants and background actors. People don't know those
are the lowest paid positions on a film set. Okay,
So we always knew that we wanted to give back
to our own industry as well as you know, we
just wanted to do everything.
Speaker 6 (12:10):
We're i DS.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
We want to solve as many things as possible, So
we knew that we wanted to give back within our
industry in that way. For me personally, those two positions
of humans helped build my career, so we really know
that they are just the absolute backbone of the industry,
and that's why we created the program. You know, we
really wanted to highlight that it takes a special skill
(12:32):
to be around a sets. You know, it really does.
You can't just show up and ask where the food is.
It really takes a bit of navigation and set knowledge
and to be able to have people be able to
translate those skills into a job that's something for good
and it's something that can supplement their income as they're struggling.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
It just it made sense to us.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
It is an innovative way of determining mutual aid and
that's you know, mutual aid has always got to find
a nature hole and be creative of feeling that hole
and also offering dignity and mutual sense of service for
both parties. One of the things I wanted to asks
because I think i'd recently seen because if you know,
(13:13):
there's been a downturn in the field, there's been a
couple of places I've seen where people I think this
Genma is he's in Vegas, I believe, and he was
in the field and he's currently living in his van
and he's trying to create a tiny home somewhere in Florida.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
There are more and more, which is why I do the.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Show, to show that on the face of houselessness looks
completely different than what people have imagined. Many people only
see people that are enduring street houselessness and not understanding
the decline and how far it has to be to
you deceive that there are people that are actively fighting
it as best as they can. And he was mentioning
(13:54):
it was very art with because he does door dash too.
And there was another young lady. She was in the industry,
I believe she does our being hairstylists or whatever, and
she's too, is living in a car but worries but
she's not in the States that her car is breaking
down and it's going to become an extra.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Hurdle in order to get out of the situation.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Have you been across any of the other community on
house or housing secure people in.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Your field, people who have had to they don't have housing,
and they also have had to leave the state because
they can't physically afford to live here and they don't
have a place to go or housing as a result. No,
there's a massive housing crisis within our business, and people
who just don't know what to do. Beyond housing, it's
also health insurance. You know, our health insurance is based
(14:40):
on the hours that you work. If you're not working,
you don't have health insurance. So that is now becoming
a massive crisis as people are done with their you
knows it's expired. No one really has it anymore if
you were working. So now it's just a panic time.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
And it's also a critical time because of the fact
that the administration that we have now or the regime
has taking an active disdain toward poor people. And and
I just no other polite way of saying this. Anytime
that you have a president of the United States, no
matter how you believe that certain people are taking advantage
(15:15):
of the system, that you will go to court to
sue to stop feeding people in the country and taking
a weather health assurance or fighting against them getting reasonable
or dignified living existence. We cannot ignore this. I have
to bring this to the forefront of that. How do
(15:36):
you see this impacting. Do you feel that the nonprofit
is going to be needing and be a higher demand
or is it going to feel that it's going to
be too overwhelming.
Speaker 6 (15:45):
I definitely think it's going to be incredibly overwhelming.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
I think that our system has always been in a
really unstable spot and that we need a change in that,
which is why every reaction exists. It's to make that
change and to be a change that you want, because
I don't think it's going to come from I don't
think the system is actually going to change. So on
a local level, if we focus on what we can
change locally, we band together locally. I think that's how
(16:09):
you stand up against systems that you don't agree with.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Yeah, you know, for us, we always wanted to inspire community,
and I don't see any other way forward for us
as a country other than banding together as communities to
take care of each other. You know, for us, that
action is every day for a reason, because you have
to take care of, you know, each other every day.
(16:32):
We have felt that the demand for us has been
only a crescendo since we've started. I don't feel that
we've ever had a downturn, so we're already feeling it.
It's overwhelming to think of how much more is going
to come our way.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
Like our beneficiary map I think has over one hundred
and fifty organizations on it, we can only really support
thirty to forty per year. You know, there's many organizations
Sam and I meet that make out our map. We
just don't have the capacity to serve. And that's always
hard for Samini and that's kind of what's always driven
everybody action. Our van is called Lady Row really saying
not today but maybe tomorrow, is like always working towards
(17:11):
cycle of tomorrow. But it's definitely only getting worse, and
we're trying to band together and making much change as
quickly as possible. We're working on a warehouse it's called
the Food and Security Shared Hub that's in partnership with
for other nonprofits and that's really working on collaboration and
will hopefully allow for us to take more food donations,
will hopefully increase our driver program. You know, we're only
(17:32):
trying to provide more jobs and reallocate more food. To me,
the statement that people are hungry in America is the
dumbest thing you can say. There's a grocery store everywhere.
There's some systematic flaw that's preventing food from getting to
people who need it. So we need to create systems
that we use food instead of throwing it out, because
we also have a massive waste issue. So we just
(17:53):
need to break that cycle and put them in another way,
which I feel like Everydy Action does really well.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
So walking through how does people sign up to get
into Everyday Action?
Speaker 5 (18:04):
So they sign up with us online and then our
amazing volunteer coordinator, Andrew takes them through the whole volunteer
process of paperwork, and then they're handed over to me
for scheduling and I schedule them with an experienced driver
or myself. Sometimes it's always a surprise and they get
to do their first training one with someone they meet up.
(18:26):
You can go together or you can ride separately, it
doesn't matter. You just go through the actions together. Action
it's my theme today. So you go through the action together.
You show up, you pick up the food, and then
you take it to a drop off spot. I have
a suggested drop off spot, but you also can choose
a spot on the map. So we really kind of
leave it up to our drivers. We really want to
(18:48):
give a lot of independent star drivers and just freedom
so you can sort of pick up this job, do
it for a few hours, then go back to another
job if you need. It's one of those things you
can volunteer for and do a few hours. You know,
I can give you one run. You do that for
a couple hours and you're done. It's very it's very
straightforward and I'm pretty simple. The only thing that is
(19:08):
sort of influx is timing because the film industry and
TV industry.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
Is never on time.
Speaker 5 (19:14):
I can't say never, but more often than not, you know,
timing shifts, so you just have to be a little
fluid and flexible.
Speaker 6 (19:20):
That's all we ask.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
And really, for me, every time I've ever felt bad
like quitting just everything and really hopeless, I will force
myself out from behind the desk and go and do
a pickup myself. Sometimes it's to save us a little
money so we can have more to put back in
the driver program. And sometimes it's because I genuinely need
(19:43):
it myself. And I can tell you that I've never
walked away from a run. Even after I broke my
finger on a fridge store this summer, I still didn't
walk away from any of that with anything but thankfulness
and gratefulness and honestly doing this work it BLUs you
a lot more than those you're blessing. You think that
you're helping others, but you're also really really helping yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
That's the essence of mutual eight.
Speaker 6 (20:07):
Yes, yes, it is.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
What challenges do you see in the program that you
wish could be undone or rectified in a way that
it's beneficial and also it doesn't reoccur.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
I mean, we've always struggled with packaging. So in individual
food there's packaging which is further waste. So we always
want to try for that packaging to be the most
environmentally friendly as possible. Currently, World Centric really supports us
in that effort. But we always have a lot of packaging,
and it varies if it's on in catering trades or
an individual so finding way to streamline that. Also, we
(20:40):
have a lot of stuff operationally, we have scales, we
have thermometers, we have a lot of equipment that a
lot of people use.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
It's hard to keep track of, so, you.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Know, systems to keep track of the things we do internally.
Data has always been a challenge and a struggle as
a nonprofit. You know, it first started with Samini and
a Gmail calendar and just post it notes, and then
after that was over ten thousand meals, realized that was
not going to work. You know.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
We moved to then.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Excel, a spreadsheet that our previous board member and president
Laney developed and really helped get our data to a
certain point. We've then now switched to an app program
this company, Hyperniche that's helping develop our app and create
a system where we can really log meals real time.
But we have a volunteer team that helps us do that,
so we're just a little bit behind. So just really
(21:27):
getting operational support for everyday action so that we can
continue the work that we're doing and continue expanding because
we've always expanded while we've been growing at the same
time and that's hard to keep up with and we
just need to be able to like have the support
so we can keep doing what we're doing because it
always keeps growing.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
It always keeps getting bigger well, and.
Speaker 5 (21:46):
People are always really surprised that it's just the two
of us and you know, and a few like volunteers
who support us. Like, we've really not had a whole
lot of like internal structural support. So while it's like
really impressive that we could do that, it wouldn't be
It would have been so much more helpful to have,
you know, those structures sort of built first. But you know,
(22:08):
it just the time didn't call for that. And I
don't think there's anything bad about the way we've run
it either. You know, we've been able to do it.
It's really impressive that, you know, our small little team
of drivers have reallocated over one hundred thousand pounds of
food this year so far, you know, in the year's
not over yet. It's amazing to me sometimes that little
team will move thousands of pounds of food and I'm
(22:30):
right there alongside with them carrying it. And you know,
those are the only things that I can think of too,
that I would change for us. Other than that, you know,
I would love to have the driver program at a
higher stipend rate, you know, but that's also something that
is something we always had to grow into. It's never
something we could just sort of start out, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And I think also when it first started, Sam Andi
and a few of our drivers were able to go
directly more to encampments were of people that were living
on the streets, and we've had to pivot a bit
with our food to support organizations that then feed people
who are coming into there. I would love to have
the abiliting network to continue to go back and do both,
to be in those organizations and have the abuilding capacity
(23:10):
to also spend one or two days a week also
going street by street, ten.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
By ten when we come back more on their work.
Welcome back to Weedian House. I'm THEO Henderson. Let's get
back into the conversation with Hillary and Sam from Everyday Action.
I know due to this weekend and being at the
Jaytown Action Solidarity Mutual Aid, the doubling of people coming
(23:39):
from not just in our community but all over trying
to get food and needing food and hungry, and I
was wondering, how do you guys reconcile? That is, if
you guys are going to try to find out you
can serve both communities and that doesn't have to be
one or the other.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
So yeah, we try to really deliver to organizations that
are serving directly to those communities, and LA community for
which are located all over the city, is where a
lot of our food goes anyone can access. We support
that every week, so that's a place where anyone who's
struggling on the street can go directly and take that
food right out.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
And enjoy it.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Really, you know, like Hillary is saying, it also depends
on how we receive the food. You know, I can't
just send a whole tray to someone who's in house
who has no refrigeration and no way to even portion
it out and split it up. So for us, that's
been you know, that's been quite limiting. But you know,
I know that we have a few volunteers and drivers
who still pound the streets and will go and donate
(24:34):
the food themselves. I try to whenever I can as well,
especially when I'm driving the van. I just how can
I pass someone in the branded van and have no meals,
which happens a lot sadly, but I at least try
to have some socks on me. But we want to
help as many people as we can across many different
varieties of food insecurity. If you're a house, if you're
(24:55):
on housed, it doesn't matter how you look. We've always
said I don't need your paperwork. I don't need to
know anything except I need to know you're hungry.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Well, if we're dealing with nonprofit now, you're probably going
to have to find some kind of way to keep
sustain that. But yeah, when you first in the grassroots era,
the need is there and you're not focused on watching
your pockets or you know, or checking every box.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
So I definitely understand that our.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
Warehouse is actually going to also increase that as well.
Like Sam said, we can't drop off a catering tray
and we currently have no way to open it. But
hopefully when the warehouse is open, we'll be able to
take those trays, open them, and then individually packaged the
meals like we want to so that we can distribute
them more directly.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
That's my goodness. So you guys have been here for
a little bit of a while. Did you guys start
during the pandemic or before the pandemic?
Speaker 5 (25:43):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Yeah, deep COVID twenty twenty. Sam and I were out
there with hamming whole masks. We look like the people
from Me Tea coming at you and.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
Chased down our first person we ever gave food too,
because we look so terrifying and our plastic face shield and.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
Kitchen rubber gloves.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Yeah, and starting in a pandemic has been always interesting, right,
because we we thrived in this horrible time and a
lot of nonprofits struggled to continue functioning, so we kind
of filled a gap during that period. So it's we
don't know how to work not in crisis because we
started in extreme crisis. So when we came out of
COVID and suddenly like food was less restrictive, we were like,
(26:25):
oh right, it's not always like this, and things are different,
you know. Originally everything was individually packaged because at that
time in COVID everything had to be so we had
a lot more individual meals, and then after COVID a
lot of that went back to catering trades.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
And I was that too, and I was literally on
the street during the COVID time. It was a lot
of mis information and it was a lot to be
learned about COVID, So a lot of places they just
stopped because that they rather aired on the side of
cost than being on the news. Next thing, this group
feeding people and like all of the unhouse community just
drops dead from COVID. It was a lot of that,
(27:01):
and it was a lot of hunger, you know. And
I remember I had a broken leg and I was
trying to navigate the places where I had to even
just go to the bathroom, and then navigating going to
stores or supermarkets and looking at and the scale a
panic that people that were there. And even if you
(27:21):
did have like what I did, I had SNAP. And
even if I did have SNAP and be able to
rely on the things, people were hoarding it so I
couldn't get it anyway. So it was essential that other groups,
other mutual a groups that were able to have food
and be able to be flexible, fluid in the matter,
be able to sustain us until people resolve their scarcity
(27:44):
index panic and be able to go to stores or
try to find off the mall stores to be able
who would accept gr which I was glad they started
to let other stores accept it because of the bestivity
of where certain stores were. You know, we couldn't just
go into it for hot deal. And if you didn't
understand there's a lot of restrictions to JR Snap and
(28:05):
people just think you're just eating steak and lobster and
junk food and things like that, not understanding contacts and
nuanced It's just, you know, just another reason just to
blame and just point feeders and hate on people. But
the morning the point of it is is that there
are places on Snap that you could go to have
hot meals and they were shut down.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
They were not feeding anybody.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Because again they didn't know how to reconcile the reality
of what COVID was. So you had to find very
creative ways to feed yourself or have someone feeds you,
or find places. And I have to take another shout
out to Melissosadero with Polo Pantry, which really had stepped
up when other places were unable to create a feeding
(28:46):
schedule or creating situations where unhoused people before which is
not a common known fact that a lot on house
that did have COVID were not allowed to intermingle with
house people with COVID. They were sent on the ship
out to the Queen Mary and put out there in
the distance. So those little known facts really revolved a
(29:07):
while and how we had to navigate to defeat them
and also be able to meet the need and stay
safe as well.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
You know, one thing we found really surprising is how
people actually were much better at social distancing. When we
would hand out meals on the street, people were very
conscious of what was going on. You know, everyone acted
like Dan has you know, had no idea and a
thousand percent they did. Everyone was very very polite and
(29:35):
would keep their distance when we'd hand out meals. For me, personally,
I have a family member who struggled with houselessness and
because of you know, mental illness, and to be honest,
every time I look at someone, I just see them
as someone's family member, regardless of what you are anything
like if your house or on house, it doesn't matter.
You're a human. Everyone is a human, and I think
(29:58):
we really sort of lose that when we have these
stigmas and have these you know, thoughts of like, oh,
you know, they would know what's happening. Of course, of
course everyone knew what was going on. And you know,
if anything, I felt more comfortable handing out meals to
the in house than I did in the regular grocery store,
to be honest, and people were nicer.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
And not only that, it's like because of the delicacy
of how our health you know, being out here. Yes,
it's much more vulnerable than I would say, I dare
say house and housing secure people because we know if
we get a sniffle or a food we're down for
the count.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
And not only that, then we also.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Have to face the scorge of the law enforcement people
that don't like on house people. And it's never great
because I've interviewed people that forced a stage for cancer
and things like that. It is never a good idea,
never a good thing to be vulnerable, be very sick
out on the street because you're susubptitual to anything from
(30:58):
physical health wise, so you know they're going to be
very much more heavily guarded on their health. Yes, you know,
I have to say that is true.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
I think it's also important to ask what people need.
Like a lot of what Samini saw on the fire
response was a lot of like here, this is what
you need, and a lot of things that were donated
weren't things that actually could be used. And Samini reactually
reallocated from several pop up fire stores. It just had
a bunch of stuff wasn't really helpful, and I think
That's something that we've always really focused on is listening
(31:26):
to what people need and trying to adapt that support
based on what people need, as opposed to just showing
up and being like, here's what we got.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
You know, ballet slippers are not needed. And really I
say that because I did a comic about it and
people were just using the reason if someone passes away
in the house whatever, just to dump everything and think
on house. People would just be, oh, great, we'll be
valating on down the street while we're hungry.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
So that doesn't not helpful. That's not going to be
a help.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Yeah. Sometimes we feel like, you know, people sort of
inadvertently will treat us like a trash can you know,
here's everything, here's don't you want this? Here are these
chairs that were probably urinated on by many animals.
Speaker 6 (32:10):
Who knows somewhere considered right like no.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
No, yeah, so I mentioned your earlier origin story. Where
do you see yourself with everyday action and five years?
Speaker 4 (32:27):
I mean, ultimately I want our warehouse to be up
and running. We really want to help support food reallocation
on a citywide and statewide level. Again, I don't understand
why people are hungry in America. So it's like solving
that problem, working with all the other nonprofits in Los
Angeles and the Food Recovery Alliance and helping to solve
that as a team, because everyday action certainly is not
going to do it by yourself, and then expanding that
(32:49):
concept to places that are willing and enable. You know,
it's like, if this concept works as we if a
city are able to figure it out, then we should
just replicate that so that we can help solve hunger
across the United States. So I think that, you know,
being a part of that conversation is definitely something that
we want to do. Our warehouse is going to evolve,
hopefully to be able to serve food on some fridays.
We want to have a community fridge out front of
(33:10):
our own to be able to put our own food in.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
So it's really evolving that.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
Warehouse space be able to support as much of the
community as we can, and then if that continues to
grow again, just kind of continuing across the US and
helping to solve and hunger.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
That wasn't something you mentioned earlier a few minutes ago
about community fridge. That was a bit in an everyday
occurrence during pandemic and the city started to crack down
and start throwing food or you know which is again,
it is always amazing how the government is always a
part of the destructive, but never something that's going to
be constructive to meet the moment. And so are you
(33:44):
worried that the city is going to pick up the
same actipathy that they had with you guys doing the
community fridges.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Well, in California, SB thirteen eighty three exists, which is
actually a law center bill that it requires food to
be reallocated. So in Los Angeles it's something that they're
actively striving to support.
Speaker 5 (34:05):
The Bill Emerson Good Samariton Act also makes it not
illegal to donate food. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act.
It's also federal now and it protects you from don
from doing anything good for someone, especially food donation. But
if you stop to help someone, it's still Good Samaritan law.
(34:25):
That's that's the whole point behind it. And it's been
a i think sort of a corporate you know, lie,
dare I say that just to you know, protect like
liability and for us, you know, we have a donation
agreement for him and many other food recovery services and
organizations do as well, and we also personally carry our
(34:48):
own customized liability policy to help protect our donors and
also make that whole process, you know, much more easy
and give our donors a lot of peace of mind
with the legalities of it. But at the end of
the day, it's not illegal to donate food. It's not
illegal to give someone food, go out and get someone
a sandwich, it's not illegal.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
And it's actually the same thing as Postmates, Grubhub, any
of those situations. Right, No one when you're hunger at
your home ordering pizza does someone show up and say, well,
this food isn't actually at temperature and I don't really
think that you should have it, and like how long
are you going to keep it in refrigerator to eat it? Again,
it's only people who don't have access, But there's suddenly
all these requirements to the things that we just simply need.
(35:30):
But if you can pay for it, that doesn't seem
to be as much regulation. So that's something that I
really hope everyday Action challenges. The mindset is that it's
the same as any of those other circumstances. It's just
for people who can't afford it. And it should exist.
It should be free because food should be like you
said at the beginning, everyone needs to eat. So it's
stupid that it's not accessible to all.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
And the reason that and I point this out is
because of our society who has always say it's easy
to demonize before we can crimine people. And I've seen
in other states that they have aggressively come after people
trying to feed people that are hungry. And that's like
where our government and law enforcements they feel that function is.
(36:14):
It's like the vulnerability there's insecurity or there's hunger. This
is where we will just descend on the populace that
need it the most, and knowing that they cannot fight back,
they will use those policies to create a more dystopian
reality for them.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
So well, and there's gaps in between support, right, It's
like you get to one level and then you make
one dollar more, you fall right back to the same
place you started. So it's not really a cycle build
to get anyone anywhere. It's just meant to kind of
take you to one place and put.
Speaker 6 (36:43):
You right back.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Absolutely, wow, this is giving me a lot into us.
So are you guys excited for the Heroes banquet.
Speaker 6 (36:51):
Hell where you got to go? So I'm really excited
for her. I am excited.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
It is something that was sort of a dream from
the beginning, and by acts, it didn't this did start,
I mean sewing face masks and a whole other story.
And during that time, I was watching a lot of
CNN being very angry, and there was a lot of
similar stuff going on. It was a time of George
Floyd and I was really really angry and I felt
like I had marched, I had done all those things
(37:15):
and nothing was changing. So I am excited because I
want to tell people to put their phone down and listen.
And I think it's important and I think if we
actually did that, there would be an epic change. And
I think the generation below us really needs to put
the phone down.
Speaker 5 (37:31):
Yeah, the same night, I'll actually be at the PVS
SoCal dinner, so oh yeah.
Speaker 6 (37:35):
So I'm really excited.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Such a modesty they have.
Speaker 5 (37:40):
Like you know, they have so many little awards that
they have, like a I think it's like the Community
Heroes Award that night, and you know, for me, that's
really full circle too.
Speaker 6 (37:49):
I'm excited.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
I'm I'm I'm missing CNN but you know, we divide
and conquer since we started, so we're doing it again.
Speaker 6 (37:56):
It's okay, But I'm really.
Speaker 5 (37:58):
Excited because I grew up on PBS of course, and
you know, for me, my my dad was an emmigrant
and he actually started a soup kitchen in my hometown,
so I grew up, you know, delivering meals to people
at least once a week, sometimes cooking in the in
the kitchen with everyone. So I've always grown up with
love as an expression, and I'm really excited. This is
(38:22):
like a whole full circle moment for me too, you know,
to be a part.
Speaker 6 (38:26):
Of like PBS two is so big.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
I you know, I love the public broadcasting system from
you know, from childhood. So it's a it's like both
of our dreams get to come true the same night.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Hello, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Toe, It's a really same time. It always happens with Samini,
but it's co founders. Things tend to fall in the
same darn day.
Speaker 6 (38:47):
It's a bummer.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
At least you guys are getting your name out there
and people are starting to take notice. I took notice
when I seen you guys seeing in real I'm like, oh,
you know, and I've always on the lookout. You tried
to reach in other areas and also reach people that
don't know of course of my show to see that.
You know, houselessness looks completely different. It's not always the
(39:10):
person that you're seeing out there on the street, and
their story is important, just as other unhoused people interfolded
into society trying to make it. You know where I
started as on housed. I was unhoused over eight years
and I was an educator and people would always try
to make me as a mascot or a person that
(39:31):
wanted to be out there. Even my closest friends started
that kind of narrative, and it showed the depth of
ignorance that it's going on with houselessness. You're a medical
emergency away, which is what happened to me. You know,
if you don't have independent, wealthy family members, you're going
to be on the street and you don't have Even
if you did and they just own, then that's a
(39:52):
different conversation. But the point of it is there are
society is always geared up for attacking vulnerable or economically
insecure people to always be on this hamster wheel of
trying to stay off of it because most people that
start to look down on other poor people, they don't
want to be associated or be judged because they know
(40:15):
how hostile our society is, which is a sad statement,
but I digress.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Actually, one thing that like everybody action was founding and
that I've always wanted to I guess get out. There's like,
why is it so scary to help someone because you're
afraid of what's going to happen to you?
Speaker 6 (40:29):
Like that's always really bothered me. In the beginning.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
There was many sets that were like, oh, we can't
donate our food because something bad might happen, And it's like,
but something great might happen.
Speaker 6 (40:38):
You might feed a bunch of people too, So.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
Let's look at it from that side instead of assuming
that like all these bad things are just going to
happen because you helped someone today.
Speaker 5 (40:46):
Yeah, absolutely well, and you know, for us, you know,
we always wanted to give with dignity as well. You know,
I love when people ask us, what can you know?
What can we do? Well, if you don't volunteer with us,
you don't have to do this. This is our everyday action.
You can do something very simple. I would just challenge
(41:07):
you to take your leftovers from that restaurant that you
ate at, and go and say hello and introduce yourself
to that person that you didn't want to look in
the eye when you walked in that restaurant, and hand
them your leftovers and just have a quick, short conversation
with them. You know, you can't imagine how many people
have probably walked by this human human and not looked
(41:28):
at them and just pretended they didn't exist. So go
say hello, and go go give some kindness and some food.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Yeah, services the wrist that you pay on earth. So
it is very true.
Speaker 5 (41:40):
And I think small changes like that are the way
we create big change, you know, just small increments. It
is easy to see all the negativity behind the systems
that are really set up to make us all fail
and to trap you know, anyone who gets caught in it.
But we can change, and the change starts with each
of us.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
I think I have exhausted every question I asked, and
I didn't want to come off rude. So if there's
anything that I'm missed, so please let me know. So
is there any closing remarks that you elct to make?
Speaker 4 (42:13):
No, just thank you for having us, you know, I
really feel that unhoused people also have a really loud
story and we need to tell it. So thank you
for telling people's story. Thank you for continuing to fight
for people who don't have a voice, and for seeing everyone.
I mean, it's really an honor to be here.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Thank you as honor as mine as well.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
So yeah, most of my pickups I actually tune into
your podcast listen to you, so thank you for keeping
us informed of the news that's out there and what's happening.
And you've also you know, traveled around quite a bit too,
so I really love hearing stories you know, from across
the country too. So it's it's just really beautiful what
(42:52):
you're doing, and we're just really grateful to be a
part of it. So it's a huge honor. It's like
being on a TV show you're a fan of, say well.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Thank you. That's such a kind thing to say.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
Well, I am excited, I'm glad, and I hope you
guys if you guys ever have time to come back
on my show anytime.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
Thanks so much to Sam and Hillary from Everyday Action.
You can learn more about their works at the link
in the description. To end this episode, I will leave
you with the quote from Maya Angelo try to be
a rainbow in someone's cloud. Thank you to Everyday Action,
(43:35):
nominated to be seeing N's Hero of the Year for
being the rainbow in someone's cloud. Finally, thank you for
listening in. If you have a story you like to share,
please reach out to me at Wiedianhouse at gmail dot
com or Widianhowees on Instagram. Until the end, may we
again meet in the light of understanding. William Howes is
(44:02):
a production of iHeartRadio. It is written, hosted, and created
by me Theo Henderson, our producers Jamie Loftus, Hayley Fager,
Katie Fischer, and Lyra Smith. Our editor is Adam Wand,
our engineer is Joel Jerome, and our local art is
also by Katie Fisher.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Thank you for listening
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.