Weekly Show 6/16

Eleni Towns from No Kid Hungry campaign chats about the importance of fighting children's food insecurity, now that it's summer and they're not in school being fed. Kenneth Braswell from Fathers Incorporated discusses online resources for fathers to help prevent absentee fatherhood in children's lives. Borris Powell of Saving Lives Foundation, tells us about the group’s goals of keeping kids off the streets through courses exposing them to costume design, videography, makeup, etc.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello, and welcome to the weeklyshow here on iHeartRadio and ninety three to
nine Light FM, one on threefive Kiss FM, and Rock ninety five
to five. I'm Paulina, andevery week we're here to discuss a variety
of topics that matter to Chicagoland,from health, education, to finances and
so much more. This week,we have a Brady and Whitney Reynolds for
another episode of Whitney's Women kicking offthis season, and we'll be chatting with

(00:24):
Popa University talking all about Fathers Incorporated. And we'll be chatting with Elennie Towns,
director of No Kids Hungry Campaigns.So let's kick off the show.
We're joined by the director of NoKid Hungry Campaigns, a Laney Towns.
You can learn more about the workthis organization does at No Kid Hungry Dot

(00:45):
org. Again, that's No KidHungry Dot Org. Elani, thank you
so much for taking a few minutestoo. Come on the show. And
before we get to this big issuefacing so many families here during the summer
months, when it comes to makingyour children are fed across the country,
let's start with an overview of howthis campaign came about and your goal,

(01:08):
the mission, the work that youdo. Yeah, thank you for having
me. Noak and Hungry Campaign iscommitted to ending childhoo hunger in America.
We know it can be done,and we know that food and security shouldn't
exist in this country, but unfortunatelywe have one in five kids living with
hunger. We work to connect dotsto bring to help bring federal interrition programs

(01:30):
to communities that need them and tosupport access to healthy meals. And the
amount of work that you have todo because of the need, it really
is incredible, and I'm assuming thingslike high prices and just budgets being strained
these days. It's real driver ofthose in need of the services you provide.

(01:53):
Absolutely, Unfortunately, millions and millionsof families across this country our living
paycheck to paycheck, and when thereare increases in food costs or other other
challenges health, transportation, other issuesthat hit a family. Unfortunately, meals
are sometimes the thing that they haveto skip or to go without. And

(02:15):
research shows that kids who based foodand security have real health and education impacts.
So it's something that we know nokids should go through and really want
to make sure families have access tothe resources they need. And you don't
have to be really well versed inthis issue to understand that. I mean,
you could just think back or justthink right now. No matter what

(02:36):
your job is or if you're inschool, if you're really hungry while you're
trying to work, it's going tomake things that much harder. And that's
what unfortunately, so many kids acrossthe country are dealing with on a daily
basis. Absolutely absolutely we've all experiencedit, even if we have thankfully not
had to face poverty or food andsecurity, but face yeah, what the

(02:59):
challenge is. It's like, andyou think about it, for a young
kid sitting in school who has aheadache or a tummy ache because they haven't
had enough food, they can't payattention, or worse, they're pulled out
to the nurse's office. They're notgetting the education and support and also the
emotional and impacts that has on akid who is facing that or facing a

(03:22):
fear of not having enough food forthe day. So explain how you conduct
this operation, how you help preventchildren across the country from being hungry.
One of the big things we're reallyfocused on right now, which is timely,
is the summer the summer meal gap. So millions of kids, thirty

(03:44):
million kids access assistants at school,so they get a school breakfast or a
school lunch while they're in the schoolsystem. But of course school is breaking
or already has for the summer.Summer should be a time of fun and
celebration for kids, but what wesee in so many communities is what it
also is is a loss and accessto nutrition assistance. And we see food

(04:09):
and security increase for KASE during thesummer months. So one of the big
things that we're focused on is expandingaccess in the summer. And there's a
couple of really great programs and actuallynew programs that Congress just passed into law
that provides support for families during thesummer months. We're joined right now by
a Laney Towns, director of NoKid Hungry Campaigns. You can learn more

(04:30):
and support all of this work atNo Kid Hungry dot org. So how
is this going to work for thesummer. Yeah, So one really exciting
new program is called Summer EBT orin some states it's called sun Bucks,
and what it is is a grocerybenefit that's been given to eligible families if
you have a school age child thatqualifies, you get one hundred and twenty

(04:54):
dollars in a card that you canuse at grocery stores wherever you shop in
your community. So it's a greatway to get access directly to families for
families to be able to just purchasemore for what their kids need during the
summer months. It's not going tobe in all in all states this summer,

(05:15):
it's the first year implementing, butit'll be in thirty seven states and
five territories, three tribal nations thissummer, and we're working with states to
really get that program up and runningso that they can offer those benefits and
that families know about them. Sothat's one really great resource. The other
are summer meals. So in manycommunities, schools or community organizations can offer

(05:40):
meals at no charge to families.They can come pick up a meal,
or meals are often provided on sitein rural communities. There's this new option
for families to pick up multiple mealsat a time. So we're working with
schools and community districts to help themoperate those programs and to get the word
out to families. How can familiestake advantage of these programs. How can

(06:04):
they participate in this if they arein need? Yeah? Absolutely, So
a couple of things. One,if you're interested in in summer meals,
really encourage parents and caregivers to useour texting line, so you can simply
text the word food, FOD orcomita to three oh four three oh four

(06:27):
and they're providing your zip code.You have access to what information around what
summer meals are available for your kidsin your community. So that's one way
to access what to learn more aboutmeals for the grocery benefit program for you
know what we call summery ABT orsun Bucks. Would really encourage families to

(06:48):
look a look up at their statewhat's available, or they can visit our
website no kind, hungry dot orgslash benefits to learn about if they're eligible
or if they're if they're date isparticipating in the program this year. So
what have you seen in recent summerswhen it comes to the amount of participation
throughout the country for a program likesummer Meals. Yeah. The reason we're

(07:14):
really excited about these new provisions andthis new law passed by Congress is that
there's just been really low participation inthe existing programs. So only thirteen out
of one hundred kids who are receivingmeal assistants in the school year are having
access to summer meals. It's justreally hard to reach kids during the summer

(07:35):
without those infrastructure systems, they maybe staying at home, they can't get
to a site. So we're reallyexcited about this new opportunity to get benefits
right in the hands of families andin rural communities, to bring meals to
families instead of requiring those kids tocome to sites. Let's talk about what

(07:55):
takes place during the school year andhow that process works, the work that
you do with no kid hungry toensure that children across the country have meals
while they're attending school. Yeah.Absolutely, school meals are critical resource for
families. As I mentioned, thirtymillion kids benefit from school breakfast and school

(08:16):
lunch. We know these programs work. What we try and do is provide
technical assistance and support to schools tomake sure they're reaching all of their kids.
Not every child is participating in abreakfast program, even if it's available
in their community, and so wework with school systems to figure out how
what's the best way they can operatetheir programs so that kids are actually participating

(08:39):
and consuming the meals. So weoffer technical assistants and grant funds, and
I'm getting the word out to makesure our families are aware of the benefits
they're eligible for. I'm Ryan Gormanwith a Laney Towns director of No Kid
Hungry Campaigns. You can learn moreat No Kid Hungry dot org. You
also do a lot of work makingsure kids have meals at home. Can

(09:01):
you take a moment and explain howthat particular program works. Yeah, SNAP
is one is a critical program.SNAP or the food stamps program is our
first line of defense against hunger inthis country, and it's really important that
families who are eligible know that theycan get benefits and how so a lot
of our work is connecting families tothose resources. And like I mentioned,

(09:26):
our website, No Good Hungry dotorg slash Benefits provides information if you think
that you may be eligible and arelooking for more details about how to enroll
in the program. I noticed youoffer a number of grants to different organizations
working to help feed kids across thecountry. Can you explain those partnerships and

(09:48):
how that process works. Schools andcommunity organizations are doing fantastic work to provide
for their communities. They are,you know, whether that's the local wh
or Boys and Girls club, orparks and rec center or just your local
school, are doing amazing work.But these are hard programs to operate and

(10:09):
there's not a lot of money init and support. So what we try
and do is offer the assistance neededto make sure the program is strong and
make sure they can reach as manyas many kids as possible. Sometimes that's
helping a school district secure a busso that they can take meals out into
the community, or maybe it's providingcapacity to a local hy or parks and

(10:33):
rec so they have refrigeration and theright materials to keep food at temperature so
they can offer meals. So there'sa lot of a lot of support needed
to make sure that these programs canrun smoothly and meet kids and families where
they're at. And then we tryto lend a hand in grant funds and
other support so they can do thatgreat work. And of course they make

(10:54):
all of this great work happen.You need a lot of support. So
how can our listeners do just that? What are some of the different ways
they can make sure No Kid Hungrycontinues to help kids all across the country.
There's a couple of ways, youknow. Of course, donations and
support to No Kid Hungry is reallyhelpful and broadening the reach of our program.

(11:18):
I think the other key way isgetting the word out. Food and
security impacts every single community in thiscountry. Every single county faces families that
are food and secure, but itcan be a sort of hidden program,
a problem. There can be unfortunatelysome shame or stigma associated and so I
think it's really important to remember thatwe don't always know what families are going

(11:41):
through, we don't always know whoneeds support, so it's helpful to get
the word out and to share.So in the case of Summer Meals,
would really again encourage folks to getthe word out about our texting service,
to share that information so that iffamilies could benefit from meals, they know
where to go and that by textingfood or Comita to three oh four,

(12:03):
three oh four and making sure wecan support our support our neighbors and our
community and getting access to what theyneed. And there's ways for younger people
to get involved and support this missionas well. Right absolutely, and I
think that connecting the dots to volunteerat sites and supporting the program in awareness

(12:26):
is a really critical piece. AndI also want to note there are ways
that companies and small businesses chefs canget involved and help make sure that no
kid goes hungry here in the US. Yeah. Absolutely, We really believe
that everybody has a strength to shareand that this problem of food and security

(12:46):
is too great that we need everybody'shands on deck to support it. So
we're really thankful for just the broadspectrum of support, like you said,
from chefs to corporate partners, torestaurants, to individuals who are who are

(13:07):
lending a hand in terms of gettingthe word out and donating their time and
their capacity, their resources, holdingbenefits and others to make sure we can
tackle this issue. Director of NoKid Hungry Campaigns A Laney Towns with us.
You can learn more and support thework they do again at No Kid
Hungry dot org. Alaney, thanksso much for the time and the work

(13:30):
you're doing. Of course, wereally appreciate it. Thanks for having me
well. Thank you for joining ustoday, Kenneth, Thank you for having
me well. First off, tellme a little about fathers Incorporated and what
it does. So Fathers Incorporated isa national five oh one c three organization
that began now twenty years ago.We're celebrating our twentieth anniversary this year.

(13:54):
And we started out in two thousandand four with a mission to work with
fathers around issues like child support andcustody and parenting time and over time we
expanded into providing technical assistance and professionaldevelopment for organizations and programs across the country
who are looking to work specifically withfathers, and just recently in the last

(14:18):
five years, began to do adeeper dive with respect to direct services here
in Metro Atlanta. And so weare expansive organization providing all levels of resources
for fathers across the country. Whetherit is direct services, whether it is
a resource like proper university books,dods, you name it. We're here

(14:39):
to provide anything that a dad needsto be the best dad he desires to
be excellent. How did you comeabout forming Fathers Incorporated. It was a
journey for me. I think Igot into the work of responsible fatherhood the
same way that many people walk intonot for profit work. Whatever it is

(15:00):
the pain point at the time,whether they happen to be homeless, or
dealing with substance abuse, or havea parent or relative with some illness.
You walk into those spaces specifically froma personal pain. And at the time
for me, it was going throughfamily court with the mother of my youngest
daughter and already being in not forprofit work. Decided that I wanted to

(15:22):
do something more for fathers who weregoing through the same circumstance that I was,
and we began to start doing thatwork and expand it more and more
into the space. And here Iam twenty years later, you know,
still trying to ensure that children donot have to deal with any measure of

(15:43):
father absence when their fathers are available. And the work just continues to grow
and evolve. And now what isPapa University and why do you think it's
needed? How will fathers benefit fromPapa University? So Papa Universesity is another
resource that we created for me.It is the main resource. We have

(16:06):
done a lot of things in thelast twenty years. I've learned a lot
with working with the families. I'velearned a ton with working with fathers.
And one of the things that havebeen lacking around the country is a resource
where fathers could glean information, getinspiration, be motivated to dig deeper and
to stay in the game. Andwe decided that we wanted to create something

(16:30):
online and so that particularly for fathersand areas of the country where there is
a lack of responsible fatherhood services orthey may not find a service that particularly
works with dads. And so I'vepoured the twenty years of experience that I've
been working with fathers and the thirtyyears of experience that I've been working in

(16:51):
community into Poper University. And soit's a one of a kind. It's
never been done before. It wasa perfect opportunity to do this given that
we are expanding into a tech agewhere things like apps and virtual resources and
things online become the easy way forpeople to get critical information and solutions for

(17:14):
their problems. And Poppa University wasbirth out of that. It was birth
out of the need to ensure thatfathers had all the information that they needed
possible with the ease of being ableto simply get to it through either their
laptops or their phones, so thatthey can get immediate information and help.
Now, can you share some meaningfulresearch, hare insights statistics on fatherhood,

(17:38):
so we know a lot about dadstoday. There is a lot of research
taking place around our fathers. Wetend to lean in on where father engagement
is impacting how our fathers interact withtheir children. So we know that research
from the Ad Council says that ninetyseven percent of all dads agree that the
day that their child was born wasthe best day of their lives. We

(18:02):
know that when fathers are engaged withtheir children in academic settings that they do
so much better in passing classes,absenteeism, self esteem. We know that
they do better on all levels oftheir life. And we also know the
flip hand side of those stats thatare coret of our children in this country
are living apart from a parent,primarily their dads, and so for us,

(18:26):
the stats lean right into the criticalnessof providing a resource like proper University,
because we do know that there aresome issues that are exciting for us
in terms of research today that areshowing that more fathers are living with their
children today than ever single fathers.You know, unfortunately we don't like to

(18:47):
lean on the fact that our childrenare growing up in single parent households,
but more and more fathers are takingcare of their children by themselves, with
their partners, with the mothers oftheir children, and so the stats are
plentiful and you can see those aswell on Papa University. Now, how
can people find additional information on FathersIncorporated and Papa University. We are very

(19:12):
easy to find. After twenty years, we are all over the place when
it comes to fatherhood and we've beenthe premier organization of providing fatherhood services across
the country, so it's very easyto find us. You can find us
through two mechanisms. You can findus through our main website that gives you
a full breadth of what we doaround the country at Fathersincorporated dot com and

(19:37):
more specific to Poppa University, youcan find us at Popauniversity dot com.
That is Poppa University dot com excellent. Is there anything additional you'd like to
add, Kenneth, You know,we want fathers to know that they have
a place to go. I knowit's sometimes difficult when you are dealing with
issues around child support, or youare dealing with issues in any other system

(20:02):
that you may be interacting with,and we designed this with our dads in
mind. We designed this upfront,because this site is going to evolve over
time. It is going to includenew issues and new solutions and things that
we're learning based on research and workingwith our fathers. We just want them
to know that they are not alone. That they can find us either through

(20:25):
our emails, our social media,even in person if you happen to be
here in Metro Atlanta. But wecreated Hopper University just for our dads,
and anybody else who really wants tolearn and understand about dads could come to
the site to learn more about themen in their lives, the fathers in
their lives. But we just wantthem to know that we're here, that

(20:47):
we honor them and we support them. Wonderful. Well, thank you so
much for joining us today, Kenneth, Thank you so much. Summer is
here, and that means one thing. Whitney Reynolds is, for somehow,
some reason, going to be abusier spreading her positivity throughout Chicago. Land
back again for another edition of Whitney'sWomen, A very special edition of Whitney's

(21:10):
Women. Whitney, What's up?Yeah? You know what? I have
these amazing stories this month. Iwant our listeners to buckle up. Because
I'm two weeks in a row comingup with these fantastic stories of do good
people in our city. So Whitney'swomen, I always say, we love
our men and his event, actually, who I'm about to introduce involves a

(21:32):
lot of women. He dresses womenand men across our city and the nation.
But we have the fabulous Boris paljoining us for Saving Life Foundation and
the fashion show coming up. Boriswelcome to the show. Oh my god,
Whitney Brady, I love you guys, and thanks so much for having
me on. We love when Borisis in studio and right now the phoner

(21:56):
is going to have to work.But we love you because not only are
you making our city look fabulous withyour outfits, but it also goes back
to an amazing nonprofit that you started. Tell us a little bit about the
Saving Life Stiles. Oh, thankyou, Minney. I appreciate that,
you know. So, Saving LifeFoundation is the foundation that I started a

(22:17):
couple of years ago, and basicallyour mission is to go into underprivileged areas
and we teach we teach children atrade within the fashion sector to keep them
off the streets, to come backagainst gun violence. So everything that I
do as a fashion artist when Ipresent my garments on a runway, and
all those entities that it takes toput on a great show. We're teaching
these kids these trades, so sewingobviously, we have hair, makeup,

(22:41):
photography, videography, sound staging,and production, all of those key elements
to put on a great show.We teach these kids to help them stay
up the streets. And I'm superexcited about it and super proud that I
can give forward and back something thatI saved my life as well. You're
one of those people that I wouldsay, you know, you've identified your

(23:04):
gifts here right, and gift isyou are a brilliant fashion designer. But
I think the key ingredient that hasmade you so amazing in your career is
that you're not forgetting about where youcame from and how you can better that
next generation. Like someone walked alongsideyou. I know this because you're one
of my favorite friends, but youactually grew up in a small town and

(23:27):
had little resources that would really actuallylaunch you to where you are today.
But you had someone that believed inyou, and now you're going back and
doing that with your nonprofit, TellOur listeners a little bit more about your
story. Yeah, So, likeyou said, thank you, Whennie I
grew up in Alabama, I grewup in the projects and subsidized housing for

(23:48):
a while, and I didn't haveany resources. When it comes to the
fashion sector, I had no ideawhat this was about. I grew up
a very sheltered life, as youcan imagine, thinking that all clothes just
came from the mall JC Penny's tobe specific. That's where I shopped as
a kid, and I just thoughtthat that's where all clothes came for I
had no idea there was a suchthing as a designer. So when you're

(24:11):
talking about resources, I didn't haveany of that until I found a way
to express myself as a creative andthat was when I got into music.
And back in the time when Igrew up in Alabama, that was the
only way that a guy could expresshimself as a creative and be accepted was
getting into music. And I creditthat it saving my life. So music,
you know, it introduced me.It exposed me to a different,

(24:37):
you know, a lifestyle, andI started traveling around doing music and then
finally I met a costume designer thatcame into it to fit us for our
costumes, and that's when it clicked. And that was in ninety five.
That's when it clicked that that's whatI was supposed to do. When I
met my very first passion designer bythe name of Michael Sosario, and from
then on the my world just kindof opened up. And that happened in

(24:59):
Chicago when I was on tour,and that's why I decided to move here
almost twenty seven years ago, toexplore a life as a designer and an
artist. And that's that's how Ifollow myself, and these elements is what
I want to give back to thekids. I want to expose them to
some things that they don't even knowexist that could potentially save their lives as
well. I love that, andyou know you're right. When you do

(25:22):
expose these different elements to what makeour world go around, it hopes their
eyes and sometimes the dreaming. Youmight have thought, oh, I can
do that, but now they aredreaming on a whole next level because they
can actually see themselves doing it,and like you said, you're teaching them
actually how to do it. Solet's talk about the offense that is going
back towards creating funding for a SavingLife foundation. You have a show coming

(25:45):
up, and I love your showsbecause, just as you mentioned, you
started, you know, with music, you have brought music back to your
fashion shows. I have in fora number of reasons. Like I say,
music is a huge part of mylife. It saved my life twice
actually, and this is why Iincorporated in my shows. A few years

(26:10):
ago again to a really bad spacementally, and I just wasn't excited about
being an artist. I wasn't excitedabout being on this earth anymore. And
it was music, a long storyshort, that brought me out of that
grave. And since that moment,I told myself that I will never go
into that dark place again by notyou know, forgetting what inspired me the
most, which is music. SoI started performing on stage with live musicians

(26:34):
back just before the pandemic twenty nineteen. I got on stage and I performed,
and it just changed my life andit gave me another reason to live.
So my next show coming up isthe next Sunday, June twenty third,
at eleven am. And you areone of my hosts, but the
most and I'm so excited to saythat that's nice to have a girlfriend ye

(27:00):
on today, So with your womenfeatures the host of course. Now I'm
just kidding. Okay, don't tellpeople it's a fashion show, because this
is a big one for you.Tell them why it's a big one,
because after twenty seven years of beingin this beautiful and amazing city, I
have decided to move on. Sothis is what I'm calling my farewell show
in Chicago. I'm moving on toanother city that I'm going to announce at

(27:25):
my show where I'm going and whyI'm going. But I'm just going for
a different platform, a different audience, and somewhere I can actually incorporate me
as an artist that not only designs. I create the show. I produce
the show, I perform in theshow, and I storytell doing the show.
So I just want to go toa different stage. Well, I
create this, Boris Powell, Sothis is a big show. And to

(27:48):
have you as a sister or agirlfriend of mine, a long term friend,
being there to host one of myyou know, my farewell shows,
it means so much to me.And I'm hoping that other people in Chicago
would definitely go check out this show, and all information is going to be
on the site, which we'll givethem the information later. But yeah,
this is a big deal. It'sit's sad, but you know, it's
a bittersweet. I know that Ineed to move on to go to another

(28:11):
place where I can reach a differentaudience. But it's just so said this
to lead to beautiful city. ButI think I've done what I need to
do here. Well, Chicago lovesyou, and I want Chicago to show
up at your farewell. So andagain, this is not goodbye. I
know that you're going to be Imean, we're chosen families, so you
have to come back. And doesn'tmean so you're going to bring some of

(28:32):
your step back, I know it. But let's talk about let's people can
get tickets for your fashion show becauselike you said, it is next weekend
at eleven and we want to makesure that it is the Chicago crowd that's
there. And also to show thelove for what you're doing for your nonprofits.
Oh that will be so sweet.So Chicago definitely come out, give

(28:52):
us some love and support and youcan go to my website which is Borispowell
dot com for tickets that be asin boy oh double R I s is
in Sam Pas and Peter O was women e l L dot com,
Borsball dot com and there's going tobe a link that says tickets for kings

(29:12):
Court Unplugged. You definitely want tocheck this out. It's going to be
like live performing by myself. We'regonna have the beautiful models, my gorgeous
clothes, my beautiful sister Whitney,and a lot of other amazing people in
Chicago will be here checking out thisbomb the show. And it's that stand
mansion located in Logan Square, sothere isn't art festival going on. To

(29:34):
make sure that you give yourself plentyof time to get there because parking's gonna
be crazy, even though we dohave a parking lot which we provided on
the website as well. Awesome,well, Boris. We just adore you.
You know, kings Court. I'malways in your court. Chicago's in
your court. This is going tobe a great show. Thank you so
much for coming on, Thanks forhaving me. Love you, love you,

(29:56):
love you. You guys are absolutelyamazing. Love you Brady, love
you Whitney. Thanks so much forhaving me. I love you guys,
and we'll talk to you soon.Bars don't get the show. Don't leave
us bars, don't I'll leave themhope, wait, I'll leave them.
My spirit here with you forever,my friends. Deal, I can't wait.
I'm Boris. Do you sing?Do you play instruments? What music
do you do? So I sing? So I will be up on the

(30:17):
stage pouring my heart out to allof you guys, and probably in a
puddle of tears because it's my lasttime that I'll see as a resident of
Chicago. That's so sweet, Whitney, that is awesome. Thank you for
bringing another amazing event to the Whitney'swomen. And you're an amazing woman who's
got stuff going on with yourself,like the Whitney Renolds Show. So tell
us all about it. Yes,you know, Brady, we are in

(30:40):
the mid season. You know,it's summertime, and this is a great
it's a great opportunity for people tocatch up because you know, at the
end of the school year, Ifeel like I talked to so many parents
and people that were just trying toget their kids to rat school and they
might have missed a week of ourshow. Now we air nationally on PBS
on world channels, so you cancatch us out every Saturday and Monday,

(31:03):
but we also stream, and Iwant to make sure that if you did
miss an episode, go to whereveryou stream and search the Whitney Reynolds Show
and get caught out because we arecurrently working on producing our Fall, which
is going to be amazing topic.But we don't want you to miss the
stories of hope. They are thereright now for you. You can also
go to Whitney Reynolds dot com formore info. Thank you so much,

(31:26):
and thank you for listening to anotherepisode of the Weekly Show. We placed
this episode and all other episodes upon our free iHeartRadio app and you can
search, of course for the WeeklyShow. Thank you and talk to you
again next weekend.