March 23, 2024 • 29 mins
Ryan Gorman hosts an iHeartRadio nationwide special featuring Jennifer Pipa, Vice President of American Red Cross Disaster Programs. Jennifer Pipa joins the show for Red Cross Month and ahead of Red Cross Giving Day to discuss Red Cross disaster relief efforts, as 2024 is expected to be a busy year for natural disasters. Also, Lillian Singh, Senior Vice President for Family Economic Mobility at Share Our Strength, checks in to discuss how Share Our Strength is working to uplift women, particularly single mothers and their children, with their Jeremiah Program initiative.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a publicaffairs special focusing on the biggest issues impacting
you this week, here's Ryan Gorman. Thanks so much for joining us here
on iHeartRadio Communities. I'm Ryan Gorman, and we have a few very important
conversations lined up for you. Injust a few minutes, we'll check in
with share our strength and organization workingto end childhood hunger in the US by
(00:24):
tackling its root causes. But firstMarch is Red Cross Month, and this
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Giving Day. And this all comes
as communities across the country prepare forwhat's expected to be a busy year for
natural disasters. For more on allof this, let me bring in Jennifer
Pippa, Vice president of American RedCross Disaster Programs. You can learn more
(00:46):
about the work they do and supportthat work at Redcross dot org. Jennifer,
thanks so much for coming on theshow. There's so much the Red
Cross does each year for so manyAmericans, but focusing on disaster relief specifically,
tell us about your work in thatarea. So what we do is
(01:06):
we actually respond to more than aboutsixty five thousand disasters every single year now.
A majority of those are single familyfires, right, So these are
families that can't return home after afire in the middle of the night and
they're left on their frontlawne and weprovide that hope and help. We send
out volunteers to take care of thatfamily. We provide financial resources to them.
(01:29):
But when folks think about the AmericanRed Cross, they probably tend to
think about those really really large disastersright all over the media. And so
some of the additional things that wedo on those is we open shelters,
We provide folks a safe place tostay, We make sure that we have
hot meals so that folks have somethingto eat. And then we also provide
(01:49):
emotional and physical health and care tofamilies who've been impacted from disasters. And
then alongside that, we actually dosome financial assistance as well, past assistance
that we put in the hands offamilies right after a disaster when they most
desperately needed. Last year alone,we distributed more than one hundred and twenty
five million dollars. That's just indirect financial assistance. And what we are
(02:15):
finding more and more is that familieshave less money in their savings, and
when a disaster happens, they needthose financial resources even to buy the most
basic of necessities because they have simplylost everything because of the disaster. Before
we get to the big disasters again, the ones that I think everybody immediately
(02:36):
associates with the American Bread Cross,those single family home fires. Can you
step us through the process of howthat works. When someone's home is destroyed
in a fire and they have nowhereelse to turn, maybe they're, like
you just said, they don't havea lot saved up and they're one disaster
(02:57):
away from falling under. Absolutely so. Unfortunately, when a fire happens,
we have great relationships with our localto fire departments all across the US,
and so we count on the firedepartment to usually do one us two things.
Either they call back to the nineone one line and then they call
us and say we have a familyhere that's going to need Red Cross help,
and we deploy out our volunteers thatway. Or they may just ask
(03:20):
the family while the firefighters are focusedon putting out the fire, to go
ahead and call the one eight hundredRed Cross number and they'll connect with folks.
Those phone lines are staff twenty fourhours a day, and then we
will get to the local chapter andget volunteers to deploy out. Once those
folks arrive on your front yard,I want folks to remember they are volunteers.
They are getting up in the middleof the night, driving to a
(03:44):
strange place to meet people at theirmost desperate hour. And we know that
after a fire, most times folksare absolutely going to need Red Cross with
help, regardless of the financial resourcesthey might have available, because when a
fire takes your home, it takesyour wallet, it takes your keys,
it takes your cell phone. Theseare all things that we need at two
(04:04):
o'clock in the morning, even togo get a hotel room, to provide
a safe place for your family tostay tonight. So those volunteers show up
in the middle of the night,they provide financial assistance to that family and
they say, here's some money.You can use that to go stay in
a hotel, or if you havefriends and family, you can use this
money to buy some additional clothes orreplace medications. And they really talk the
(04:27):
family through the next steps and makesure that they have a safe place to
stay that night and access to financialresources. And then after that we about
forty eight hours later, call thosefolks back, see how they're doing,
see if we can help connect themwith other resources to help them continue on
their recovery journey. And we dothat hundreds of times a day across all
(04:49):
the communities in the US. I'mRyan Gorman, joined by Jennifer Pippa,
Vice president of American Red Cross DisastersPrograms. March is Red crossmont and this
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Giving Day. You can learn more
and offer your support at Redcross dotorg. So now let's get to the
larger disasters that you deal with.And sadly, while we're on the topic
(05:12):
of fires, there were some hugewildfires already in Texas earlier this year,
and that's ahead of wildfire season,which we seem to see in growing numbers
each year. How do you respondto those kinds of large scale disasters.
So when we have those large scaledisasters, we know that it is going
(05:34):
to be more than the community itselfhas the ability to recover from. So
that's where not only are we engagingour local volunteers. So some folks on
a disaster, if you look atthem in their Red Cross volunteer may actually
be your next door neighbors or fellowcommunity members. So we also rally the
troops across the US and we askvolunteers to give us two weeks of their
(05:58):
time. We put them on aplane, fly them out to the disaster
area, and that way they canspend those two weeks absolutely dedicated to making
sure that we are able to takecare of those families at their greatest moment
need. That may mean running ashelter and helping people find a safe place
to stay. It may mean providingmental health resources. It may mean getting
in what we call our emergency responsevehicles, which looks like really big box
(06:21):
feeding trucks, and distributing hot mealsor emergency supplies that people need after a
disaster. And so we rally allof those troops together. And not only
do we do that, but weunderstand that disaster is a team sport,
and so it's not just about theRed Cross. It's about us making space
as a table for all of thenonprofits that are locally impacted, bringing them
(06:44):
to the table to better understand howtogether, as a collaborative group, we
can actually help this community recover fromthe devastating disaster. That's occurred. Looking
ahead to spring and summer, whatare we seeing in terms of weather predictions
for potential natural disasters. So twentytwenty four is unfortunately looking very similar to
(07:06):
twenty twenty three, and we actuallythink it has the potential to actually be
worse. You've got above normal temperaturesacross the Northern States. You have dryness
coming into the West coast, whichis going to heighten that wildfire risk.
We've an above normal hurricane season that'spredicted. And those are just the posts
that we're talking about. We areseeing more and more disasters in the middle
(07:30):
of the US, things that areincredibly challenging to predict and prepare for.
Things like straight line winds, splashflooding, brainforms that kind of set up
out of nowhere and then just dropcopious amounts of water. So as an
organization, we have to really belooking at now just the risks that we've
historically seen. I know we talkedabout like wildfire season. We are getting
(07:50):
to appointment the disaster relief organization.We don't have those seasons anymore. We
think wildfire season may actually start soonerthis year, hurting season may start seeing
this year, and that's in additionto the current operations that we're still supporting.
These still are supporting more than threethousand people out in Malli. Those
are from wildfires back in August.Those are communities that need long term help,
(08:13):
and the Red Cross is still thereon the ground more than one hundred
volunteers taking care of those folks inMaui. Are there things that the Red
Cross has had to begin to dodifferently because of the number of disasters you've
had to respond to in recent years, especially in preparation for that period of
(08:37):
the year, even though it seemsto be extending farther and farther out that
period of the year when they're morelikely to occur than during other timeframes.
Yeah, there's absolutely we can't continueto do more and more and more and
more and more, which is kindof the phase that we're in now.
There's going to be more disasters,they're more extremes, they're going to impact
(08:58):
more community and communities are going totake longer to recover because recovery is so
complex. So we're looking at thingslike really empowering and challenging volunteers and communities
to take preparedness actions now before adisaster happens, so that they can be
resilient on their own and available tohelp their own community recover. We are
(09:18):
really looking at our volunteer cadre.We're doing some really huge volunteer recruitment efforts
because we know in order to runmultiple large scale, simultaneous disaster relief operations,
we're going to need to make surethat we have enough volunteers. And
that's part of why we're talking todayas well. Right we need more financial
(09:39):
resources. We need to be ableto run multiple operations at the same time.
We rely on the generosity of theAmerican public to support the delivery of
the Red Cross mission. I'm RyanGorman, joined by Jennifer Pippa, Vice
president of American Red Cross Disasters Programs. March is Red Cross Month. This
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Giving Day. You can learn more
(10:00):
and help support the work they doat Redcross dot org. What are some
tips for all of us to beginto prepare for potential disasters before they hit?
Right before is really the keyword inthat question. Right now is the
time to take some preparedness actions.Three really really simple steps. Get a
kicked, make a plan, andbe informed, so you want to create
(10:22):
an evacuation plan and plan. Whatyou would have to do is you are
separated from your family during an emergencyand you have to evacuate. Now is
the time to have those family discussionsaround the dinner table and make sure that
everybody's aware of what the plan is. The next building an emergency kit.
The good news here is most ofthe stuff that goes in your emergency kit
(10:43):
is probably already in your home,things like bottled water and nonperishable food,
a flashlight, a battery powered radio. But here are some things that we
see folks forget a lot of timesduring evacuations. In an emergency kit.
It's copies of important paper, insurancepapers, far certificates, things that you're
(11:03):
going to need to have access throughafter the disasters you begin your recovery journey.
And medications. If you take medicationson an ongoing basis, it's really
important to evacuate that you take thosemedications with you. But just a little
post it note on your bag thatsays, don't forget the meds, so
if you have to evacuate at thelast minute, you remember those you can
go get those out of your medicinecabinet and throw them in your kit.
(11:26):
And the third is is know howto stay informed right understand what the most
likely risks are in your community andthe preparedness actions that you can take today.
And we have a Red Cross Emergencyapp. It is absolutely free to
download on the App Store of GooglePlay, and this will help you identify
what your most likely disasters could be, how to prepare for them. And
(11:50):
it actually also has weather alerts sothat if you are in an area and
there is a severe weather, itwill actually notify you through your phone so
that you can better be further informedabout what weather impacts may be occurrent.
And look, the best thing thatcould possibly happen is that you make these
preparations and then you never have touse them. That means it was a
(12:11):
good year and you didn't get herewith the disaster. I absolutely hope folks
make all of these kits and havethese plans and never have to use them.
But unfortunately, the forecast and whatwe have seen over the past couple
of years is it's more and moreneeded. Unfortunately. Tell us about Red
Cross Giving Day coming up on Wednesday, the twenty seventh, and how people
(12:33):
can help those in need absolutely soRed Crust Giving Days and national effort that
happens on March twenty seventh. Thisallows us to support families affected by future
disasters right help cannot wait, andfinancial donations are the quickest way to mobilize
our organization to help those families inneed. That helps us provide the shelter
(12:56):
and the food and the relief items. It also helps us provide the emergent
and see cash assistance as well.But we can't wait for the disaster to
happen to make sure that we arepositioned and have enough volunteers and enough pots
and enough blanket to meet that need. And that's why we spend a day
talking the community how you can prepareand help yourself and your family become more
resilient, but at the same time, how you can invest in our organization
(13:22):
and make sure that we are readypositioned and funded to deliver the Red Cross
mission wherever it is needed across theUS at a moment's notice. And if
you're contemplating whether or not to helpthe Red Cross on Red Cross Giving Day,
just remember if it ends up beingyour community that's dealing with the disaster,
you're going to need that help.Your neighbors are going to need that
(13:43):
help, and so the more ofpeople who participate and offer their support,
the better off will all be ifsomething does happen here in twenty twenty four,
Jennifer, any final takeaways, anyfinal tips or thoughts for all of
us ahead of Red Cross Giving Dayand of course ahead of what's potentially to
come this spring and summer. Absolutely, be prepared, right, take some
(14:07):
simple steps now, get you andyour family ready. Obviously, financial support
to our organization is greatly appreciated.No gift is too big, and no
gift is too small when you arefamily standing on your lawn and you have
nothing left. So not everybody canafford to support an organization financially. You
can raise your hand. Go tored Cross dot org, put in your
(14:28):
zip code, Go join your localchatter, get trained on how to be
a disaster responder. Who knows.Unfortunately, the first time you may be
called to action is to help yourown community that's been impacted by a disaster.
So again, Redcross dot org isthe website for everything. Tons of
great information and resources there Redcross dotorg. Jennifer Pippa, Vice President of
(14:50):
American Red Cross Disaster programs with usas March is Red Cross Month and this
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Than Giving Day. Jennifer, thank
you so much for a ticket afew minutes to come on the show,
and of course for all the tremendouswork you and your organization are doing for
all of us. Thank you forhelping us help prepare your communities across the
US. All right, I'm RyanGorman here on iHeartRadio Communities, and now
(15:13):
let me bring in our next guest. We're joined by Lillian Singh, Senior
vice president for Family Economic Mobility atShare Our Strength and Porsha Jackson, who
participated in Share Our Strengths Jeremiah program, which we're going to discuss in just
a bit. You can learn moreabout this organization and the work they do
at Share our Strength dot org.That's Shareourstrength dot Org. Lillian Porsche,
(15:37):
thank you both so much for comingon the show. And Lillian, let
me start with you give us anoverview of the mission your organizations on.
Thank you so much, Ryan forinviting us to the show. I'm so
happy to be here with Porsche,who is a participant of Jeremiah program,
who is partnering with us to dothis great work to really advance economic mobility
(15:58):
for the primary caretakers, which weare focusing on a single mom. So
Shares since has been around for overforty years and really been on the front
lines of fighting hunger. We've donethis with great work through the lens of
our Not Hungry campaign and many others, really focusing in on children and the
needs of supporting them with food inthe classroom and as well as at the
(16:22):
community level. And two years agoScare Friends made a decision to really launch
a new body of work focused onfull family economic mobility. So I'm super
excited to share right in this newvision. What we've decreed as our mission
is to really be an inviter rightof a diverse community of inspire people who
(16:45):
are sharing our strengths as an organizationso that all children and all families live
with our hunger. So we've expandedthat mission to really focus on families as
well. And of course for Women'sHistory Months, it's a great time to
spotlight initiatives that uplift women, especiallysingle mothers and their children. So Lily
and tell us why there's such afocus on single mothers, tell us about
(17:08):
the unique challenges they face and howthey sometimes are particularly vulnerable to a cycle
of generational poverty and hunger. Yes, so, right now, of the
nearly eight point five million single momsin the US, sixty one percent of
them are considered low income. Andthe complexities of this is that, like,
(17:33):
while many single moms work hard,many of them don't have the wages
that are necessary to really afford likefood and the basic neiques and necessities like
for their kids. They're also theprimary caregivers, right, And what does
that mean for being the primary caregiveris that you also need to then think
(17:53):
about how here which is one ofthe most expensive you know, commodities and
inconveniences, right that single moms need, they also need their incomes. So
the work that we're doing is reallytrying to diagnose even further what those complexities
are in partnership with organizations like JeremiahPrograms, so that we can then create
(18:18):
what we are hoping to be theblueprint for the solutions to then provide the
pathway that's necessary for future opportunity gainsfor this population. So that's stuff what
we're partnering to do for better learnand tests in the moment, but also
using our sense as a national organizationto elevate that to the national stage.
And I'm just thinking about what's happenedin recent years from the inflation issue to
(18:41):
housing and rent costs, and ofcourse you mentioned childcare costs. Those certainly
haven't come down. That is probablyand I'd love to get your thoughts on
this, and we'll get to youPorsche in a moment as well. That's
probably putting an even greater strain onthe mothers. I would say without questions
(19:03):
that you know, one of thethings that we saw and uh, you
know last year with when we hadyou know, uh the passage of child
uh low and time child tax creditsat the federal level, it was one
of the first times really you know, in my lifetime history where we saw
a majority of families lists just barelyabove the property level. So many families
(19:26):
was with they out of property becauseof like that passage of that legislation during
that season. So then they alsostill you know, so then that decreased
food security challenges that you know,mothers found themself facing, but that did
not necessarily address you know, thehousing costs, the transportation costs, the
childcare costs that it really is necessaryso that a mother can just buy basic
(19:53):
things and to take care of thebasic needs of their families. But I
would love for a Portia who isa mom right who is grappling with the
intersectionality of these issues, so it'snot just one super bullet that's going to
actually lift you know, this populationor to really change the sycle generational property
and a hunger for you know,children and their mothers. There's a number
(20:14):
of different issues right that you know, we are committed to elevating as the
national organization, but then supporting organizationssuch as Jeremiah Program that are addressing them
on the front line, Supporting beautifulmothers, beautiful strong women such as Porsches
so that taking better take care oftheir children. I'm Ryan Gorman, joined
by Lillian Singh, Senior vice presidentfor Family Economic Mobility at Share Our Strength
(20:37):
and Porscha Jackson, who participated inthe Jeremiah Program, which we're going to
discuss in a moment. You canlearn more about this organization and the work
they do at Share Our Strength dotorg. Again, that's Share our Strength
dot org. One more quick questionfor you, Lillian, the Jeremiah program.
Can you give us kind of abroad overview of how this works and
(21:00):
the grantees. Who are some ofthe grantees and why are they selected?
Right now? What we've done overthe last year is we identify twenty eight
partners across the Countess Geremia being intwelb state, twenty of partners in twelve
states, and our ultimate you knowmission and identifying these partners is to create
(21:22):
a portfolio that we believe we candemonstrate as investible bodies of work and as
investible best practices to do two things. Increase income and wages for single moms
to support them in overcoming the uniquebarriers they face as the primary caretakers of
(21:44):
their children, and too, reducethe cost burdens that these family space and
bringing nutritious foods into their homes.Oftentimes the same population with low incomes but
with you know, have the desireand our you know, frankly over employee
and underpay live in places where fuitassessing fresh food and affordable suit is one
(22:08):
of the most hirable variable expenses.Stay safe as moms. So our goal
is to bring in technological solutions andbreak corporate partners to really understand what those
barriers are, but partner with themto create the solutions. Poor Schelle,
let me bring you into the conversation. Now, tell us how the support
(22:29):
of the Jeremiah program benefited you specificallyand your children. Yeah. So I
just want to be very transparent thatI graduated from Jeremiah twenty years ago,
so well actually twenty one years agonow, But Jeremia at that time I
had sushield and now I'll have five. But Jeremiah really put me on the
(22:52):
trajectory to like excel. So,you know, before I came there,
I was homele with you know,I didn't really know what I wanted to
do in life, and it just, you know, was a program that
kind of helped me figure some ofthose things out, and it really gave
me the foundation and stability to beable to go to school. So I
(23:12):
was there for two and a halfyears, a little under two and a
half years, and I earned myAssociates and Science degree in Human services while
I was there, so I wasable to leave with a degree. But
you know, while there, Igot to be you know, I was
exposed to all kinds of different differentthings and resources in regards to emotional intelligence
(23:36):
in regards to financial you know,learned about finance and things like that.
And also just having the the ecosystemof having other women who were doing the
same thing as me at the sametime with small children. And you know
a lot of those women I'm stillfriends with twenty one years later. So
(23:59):
it definitely helped out a lot withjust knowing that there is a support system,
that there are resources out there,if there's a place that really wants
to succeed and excel, and notonly yourself, what generation is after you.
And you know, that really helpedmy family to do things that they
probably would not be able to dowithout Jeremiah. Right now, I have
(24:21):
a master's degree and I'm a directorat a local nonprofit, Twin City's Habitat
for Humanity. And then my twoolder children, one of them is an
entrepreneur and the other one that hassecured her job at her workplace the last
five years. So without that stabilityand that foundation, yeah, we might
(24:42):
have been able to get there,but it probably would have taken longer and
maybe would we would not have gottenas far as we have. So,
you know, I really give Jeremiahthe kudos for helping us establish hopefully generations
worth of prosperity and wealth. I'mRyan Gorman, joined now by Lillian Singh,
Senior Vice president for Family Economic Mobilityand Share Our Strength and Porscha Jackson,
(25:06):
who participated in Share Our Strengths Jeremiahprogram. You can learn more about
this organization and the work they dois Share Our Strength dot org. So,
Porsie, how did you first comeacross the Jeremiah Program? How did
you first get connected? Yeah,so I had a friend who actually lived
there when it first opened, andI think Jeremiah started in nineteen ninety nine,
(25:27):
so a couple of years before Ibecame a participant, and you know,
I was like, oh, thisis great. There. You know,
there's a housing like a housing opponent, so you you know, have
a two or three risum party whereit's subsidized and you're able to go to
school. That's the focus school,and then on by childcare. So then
your children, if they're under five, they will be able to go to
(25:48):
school right downstairs from where they lived. So, you know, at the
time and I heard about it,I wasn't really in a good space.
Again, I was homeless and notknowing what really I wanted to do with
life. But I think that knowingthat that that Jeremiah existed just gave me
a little bit of a spark ofyou know, I actually can do this.
I actually can go and seek highereducation, so then I can you
(26:11):
know, do more in the workforce. So after about a year, I
applied and there was a very rigorousapplication process, and we worked at it,
and you know, we got inthere and I worked very hard to
make sure that I maintained you know, a good GPA, and then I
was passing all my classes, soI was on track to graduate on time.
And I really got a lot ofsupport not only from the people like
(26:34):
my coach, I'm John Finberg,who you know, really pushed me,
but like everybody who worked at Jeremiah, So from you know, the front
desk staff to the uh worked inthe talcaust and it was like it was
a really great environment where everybody kindof knew what our goals were and they
(26:56):
were very supportive of it. Soyeah, it was just a very very
enriching and like love the environment thatI was able to participate in. And
I really you know, have alwayscontinued to volunteer and speak at different events
and just be connected to Jeremiah becauseof where it got me. That support
(27:18):
system. Was that something that youdidn't have in your life for your family
before you came across jeremiah program.No, yeah, I didn't have any
of that. You know, I'mthe first person to graduate college in my
family, so you know, Ididn't really have anywhere to pool from in
regards to any advice or any supportbecause you know, I was a trail
(27:44):
blazer. Nobody had done it before. So it's being an environment where education
is one of the most important thingsand development as a person, as a
woman, as a mother was alsovery important. Was great, Like I
don't I know, I could havedone it, but it would have been
much have you lived if it wasn'tfor Jeremiah and the Spoor system that again
(28:06):
I found from the SAB but alsofor people that didn't have to even forward
to me like they did. SoI did not have that, and I'm
so thankful that Jeremiah provided. EmptyLily, And let me turn back to
you for one final question. Whatcan everyone listening do to support the work
you do? A share our strengthand this program which has helped Portia and
(28:26):
so many others. So one ofthe things that we're looking for right now
in this moment is support as webuild out our communications society and our campaign
to uplift the amazing assets of thispopulation. And you also learn more about
us on our website on how toactually doing our movement as we could change
(28:47):
to actually support amazing programs such asJeremiah program on the front lines, day
in the day out. Lily andSingh, senior vice president for Family Economic
Mobility at Share Our Strength and Jacksonwho participated in Share Our Strengths Jeremiah program
with us. You can learn moreabout the work this organization does and again
support all of that work, includingthe Jeremiah program at Shareourstrength dot org.
(29:14):
That's Shareourstrength dot Org. Lillian Porsche, I want to thank you both so
much for the work you're doing andfor coming on the show. We really
appreciate it. Thank you, Thankyou. All right, and that's going
to do it for this edition ofiHeartRadio Communities. As we wrap things up,
I want to offer a big thanksto all of our guests and of
course to all of you for listening. If you want to hear previous episodes
of this show, We're on youriHeartRadio app. Just search for iHeartRadio communities.
(29:38):
I'm your host, Ryan Gorman.We'll talk to you again real soon.
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a publicaffairs special focusing on the biggest issues impacting
you this week, here's Ryan Gorman. Thanks so much for joining us here
on iHeartRadio Communities. I'm Ryan Gorman, and we have a few very important
conversations lined up for you. Injust a few minutes, we'll check in
with share our strength and organization workingto end childhood hunger in the US by
(00:24):
tackling its root causes. But firstMarch is Red Cross Month, and this
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Giving Day. And this all comes
as communities across the country prepare forwhat's expected to be a busy year for
natural disasters. For more on allof this, let me bring in Jennifer
Pippa, Vice president of American RedCross Disaster Programs. You can learn more
(00:46):
about the work they do and supportthat work at Redcross dot org. Jennifer,
thanks so much for coming on theshow. There's so much the Red
Cross does each year for so manyAmericans, but focusing on disaster relief specifically,
tell us about your work in thatarea. So what we do is
(01:06):
we actually respond to more than aboutsixty five thousand disasters every single year now.
A majority of those are single familyfires, right, So these are
families that can't return home after afire in the middle of the night and
they're left on their frontlawne and weprovide that hope and help. We send
out volunteers to take care of thatfamily. We provide financial resources to them.
(01:29):
But when folks think about the AmericanRed Cross, they probably tend to
think about those really really large disastersright all over the media. And so
some of the additional things that wedo on those is we open shelters,
We provide folks a safe place tostay, We make sure that we have
hot meals so that folks have somethingto eat. And then we also provide
(01:49):
emotional and physical health and care tofamilies who've been impacted from disasters. And
then alongside that, we actually dosome financial assistance as well, past assistance
that we put in the hands offamilies right after a disaster when they most
desperately needed. Last year alone,we distributed more than one hundred and twenty
five million dollars. That's just indirect financial assistance. And what we are
(02:15):
finding more and more is that familieshave less money in their savings, and
when a disaster happens, they needthose financial resources even to buy the most
basic of necessities because they have simplylost everything because of the disaster. Before
we get to the big disasters again, the ones that I think everybody immediately
(02:36):
associates with the American Bread Cross,those single family home fires. Can you
step us through the process of howthat works. When someone's home is destroyed
in a fire and they have nowhereelse to turn, maybe they're, like
you just said, they don't havea lot saved up and they're one disaster
(02:57):
away from falling under. Absolutely so. Unfortunately, when a fire happens,
we have great relationships with our localto fire departments all across the US,
and so we count on the firedepartment to usually do one us two things.
Either they call back to the nineone one line and then they call
us and say we have a familyhere that's going to need Red Cross help,
and we deploy out our volunteers thatway. Or they may just ask
(03:20):
the family while the firefighters are focusedon putting out the fire, to go
ahead and call the one eight hundredRed Cross number and they'll connect with folks.
Those phone lines are staff twenty fourhours a day, and then we
will get to the local chapter andget volunteers to deploy out. Once those
folks arrive on your front yard,I want folks to remember they are volunteers.
They are getting up in the middleof the night, driving to a
(03:44):
strange place to meet people at theirmost desperate hour. And we know that
after a fire, most times folksare absolutely going to need Red Cross with
help, regardless of the financial resourcesthey might have available, because when a
fire takes your home, it takesyour wallet, it takes your keys,
it takes your cell phone. Theseare all things that we need at two
(04:04):
o'clock in the morning, even togo get a hotel room, to provide
a safe place for your family tostay tonight. So those volunteers show up
in the middle of the night,they provide financial assistance to that family and
they say, here's some money.You can use that to go stay in
a hotel, or if you havefriends and family, you can use this
money to buy some additional clothes orreplace medications. And they really talk the
(04:27):
family through the next steps and makesure that they have a safe place to
stay that night and access to financialresources. And then after that we about
forty eight hours later, call thosefolks back, see how they're doing,
see if we can help connect themwith other resources to help them continue on
their recovery journey. And we dothat hundreds of times a day across all
(04:49):
the communities in the US. I'mRyan Gorman, joined by Jennifer Pippa,
Vice president of American Red Cross DisastersPrograms. March is Red crossmont and this
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Giving Day. You can learn more
and offer your support at Redcross dotorg. So now let's get to the
larger disasters that you deal with.And sadly, while we're on the topic
(05:12):
of fires, there were some hugewildfires already in Texas earlier this year,
and that's ahead of wildfire season,which we seem to see in growing numbers
each year. How do you respondto those kinds of large scale disasters.
So when we have those large scaledisasters, we know that it is going
(05:34):
to be more than the community itselfhas the ability to recover from. So
that's where not only are we engagingour local volunteers. So some folks on
a disaster, if you look atthem in their Red Cross volunteer may actually
be your next door neighbors or fellowcommunity members. So we also rally the
troops across the US and we askvolunteers to give us two weeks of their
(05:58):
time. We put them on aplane, fly them out to the disaster
area, and that way they canspend those two weeks absolutely dedicated to making
sure that we are able to takecare of those families at their greatest moment
need. That may mean running ashelter and helping people find a safe place
to stay. It may mean providingmental health resources. It may mean getting
in what we call our emergency responsevehicles, which looks like really big box
(06:21):
feeding trucks, and distributing hot mealsor emergency supplies that people need after a
disaster. And so we rally allof those troops together. And not only
do we do that, but weunderstand that disaster is a team sport,
and so it's not just about theRed Cross. It's about us making space
as a table for all of thenonprofits that are locally impacted, bringing them
(06:44):
to the table to better understand howtogether, as a collaborative group, we
can actually help this community recover fromthe devastating disaster. That's occurred. Looking
ahead to spring and summer, whatare we seeing in terms of weather predictions
for potential natural disasters. So twentytwenty four is unfortunately looking very similar to
(07:06):
twenty twenty three, and we actuallythink it has the potential to actually be
worse. You've got above normal temperaturesacross the Northern States. You have dryness
coming into the West coast, whichis going to heighten that wildfire risk.
We've an above normal hurricane season that'spredicted. And those are just the posts
that we're talking about. We areseeing more and more disasters in the middle
(07:30):
of the US, things that areincredibly challenging to predict and prepare for.
Things like straight line winds, splashflooding, brainforms that kind of set up
out of nowhere and then just dropcopious amounts of water. So as an
organization, we have to really belooking at now just the risks that we've
historically seen. I know we talkedabout like wildfire season. We are getting
(07:50):
to appointment the disaster relief organization.We don't have those seasons anymore. We
think wildfire season may actually start soonerthis year, hurting season may start seeing
this year, and that's in additionto the current operations that we're still supporting.
These still are supporting more than threethousand people out in Malli. Those
are from wildfires back in August.Those are communities that need long term help,
(08:13):
and the Red Cross is still thereon the ground more than one hundred
volunteers taking care of those folks inMaui. Are there things that the Red
Cross has had to begin to dodifferently because of the number of disasters you've
had to respond to in recent years, especially in preparation for that period of
(08:37):
the year, even though it seemsto be extending farther and farther out that
period of the year when they're morelikely to occur than during other timeframes.
Yeah, there's absolutely we can't continueto do more and more and more and
more and more, which is kindof the phase that we're in now.
There's going to be more disasters,they're more extremes, they're going to impact
(08:58):
more community and communities are going totake longer to recover because recovery is so
complex. So we're looking at thingslike really empowering and challenging volunteers and communities
to take preparedness actions now before adisaster happens, so that they can be
resilient on their own and available tohelp their own community recover. We are
(09:18):
really looking at our volunteer cadre.We're doing some really huge volunteer recruitment efforts
because we know in order to runmultiple large scale, simultaneous disaster relief operations,
we're going to need to make surethat we have enough volunteers. And
that's part of why we're talking todayas well. Right we need more financial
(09:39):
resources. We need to be ableto run multiple operations at the same time.
We rely on the generosity of theAmerican public to support the delivery of
the Red Cross mission. I'm RyanGorman, joined by Jennifer Pippa, Vice
president of American Red Cross Disasters Programs. March is Red Cross Month. This
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Giving Day. You can learn more
(10:00):
and help support the work they doat Redcross dot org. What are some
tips for all of us to beginto prepare for potential disasters before they hit?
Right before is really the keyword inthat question. Right now is the
time to take some preparedness actions.Three really really simple steps. Get a
kicked, make a plan, andbe informed, so you want to create
(10:22):
an evacuation plan and plan. Whatyou would have to do is you are
separated from your family during an emergencyand you have to evacuate. Now is
the time to have those family discussionsaround the dinner table and make sure that
everybody's aware of what the plan is. The next building an emergency kit.
The good news here is most ofthe stuff that goes in your emergency kit
(10:43):
is probably already in your home,things like bottled water and nonperishable food,
a flashlight, a battery powered radio. But here are some things that we
see folks forget a lot of timesduring evacuations. In an emergency kit.
It's copies of important paper, insurancepapers, far certificates, things that you're
(11:03):
going to need to have access throughafter the disasters you begin your recovery journey.
And medications. If you take medicationson an ongoing basis, it's really
important to evacuate that you take thosemedications with you. But just a little
post it note on your bag thatsays, don't forget the meds, so
if you have to evacuate at thelast minute, you remember those you can
go get those out of your medicinecabinet and throw them in your kit.
(11:26):
And the third is is know howto stay informed right understand what the most
likely risks are in your community andthe preparedness actions that you can take today.
And we have a Red Cross Emergencyapp. It is absolutely free to
download on the App Store of GooglePlay, and this will help you identify
what your most likely disasters could be, how to prepare for them. And
(11:50):
it actually also has weather alerts sothat if you are in an area and
there is a severe weather, itwill actually notify you through your phone so
that you can better be further informedabout what weather impacts may be occurrent.
And look, the best thing thatcould possibly happen is that you make these
preparations and then you never have touse them. That means it was a
(12:11):
good year and you didn't get herewith the disaster. I absolutely hope folks
make all of these kits and havethese plans and never have to use them.
But unfortunately, the forecast and whatwe have seen over the past couple
of years is it's more and moreneeded. Unfortunately. Tell us about Red
Cross Giving Day coming up on Wednesday, the twenty seventh, and how people
(12:33):
can help those in need absolutely soRed Crust Giving Days and national effort that
happens on March twenty seventh. Thisallows us to support families affected by future
disasters right help cannot wait, andfinancial donations are the quickest way to mobilize
our organization to help those families inneed. That helps us provide the shelter
(12:56):
and the food and the relief items. It also helps us provide the emergent
and see cash assistance as well.But we can't wait for the disaster to
happen to make sure that we arepositioned and have enough volunteers and enough pots
and enough blanket to meet that need. And that's why we spend a day
talking the community how you can prepareand help yourself and your family become more
resilient, but at the same time, how you can invest in our organization
(13:22):
and make sure that we are readypositioned and funded to deliver the Red Cross
mission wherever it is needed across theUS at a moment's notice. And if
you're contemplating whether or not to helpthe Red Cross on Red Cross Giving Day,
just remember if it ends up beingyour community that's dealing with the disaster,
you're going to need that help.Your neighbors are going to need that
(13:43):
help, and so the more ofpeople who participate and offer their support,
the better off will all be ifsomething does happen here in twenty twenty four,
Jennifer, any final takeaways, anyfinal tips or thoughts for all of
us ahead of Red Cross Giving Dayand of course ahead of what's potentially to
come this spring and summer. Absolutely, be prepared, right, take some
(14:07):
simple steps now, get you andyour family ready. Obviously, financial support
to our organization is greatly appreciated.No gift is too big, and no
gift is too small when you arefamily standing on your lawn and you have
nothing left. So not everybody canafford to support an organization financially. You
can raise your hand. Go tored Cross dot org, put in your
(14:28):
zip code, Go join your localchatter, get trained on how to be
a disaster responder. Who knows.Unfortunately, the first time you may be
called to action is to help yourown community that's been impacted by a disaster.
So again, Redcross dot org isthe website for everything. Tons of
great information and resources there Redcross dotorg. Jennifer Pippa, Vice President of
(14:50):
American Red Cross Disaster programs with usas March is Red Cross Month and this
Wednesday, March twenty seventh is RedCross Than Giving Day. Jennifer, thank
you so much for a ticket afew minutes to come on the show,
and of course for all the tremendouswork you and your organization are doing for
all of us. Thank you forhelping us help prepare your communities across the
US. All right, I'm RyanGorman here on iHeartRadio Communities, and now
(15:13):
let me bring in our next guest. We're joined by Lillian Singh, Senior
vice president for Family Economic Mobility atShare Our Strength and Porsha Jackson, who
participated in Share Our Strengths Jeremiah program, which we're going to discuss in just
a bit. You can learn moreabout this organization and the work they do
at Share our Strength dot org.That's Shareourstrength dot Org. Lillian Porsche,
(15:37):
thank you both so much for comingon the show. And Lillian, let
me start with you give us anoverview of the mission your organizations on.
Thank you so much, Ryan forinviting us to the show. I'm so
happy to be here with Porsche,who is a participant of Jeremiah program,
who is partnering with us to dothis great work to really advance economic mobility
(15:58):
for the primary caretakers, which weare focusing on a single mom. So
Shares since has been around for overforty years and really been on the front
lines of fighting hunger. We've donethis with great work through the lens of
our Not Hungry campaign and many others, really focusing in on children and the
needs of supporting them with food inthe classroom and as well as at the
(16:22):
community level. And two years agoScare Friends made a decision to really launch
a new body of work focused onfull family economic mobility. So I'm super
excited to share right in this newvision. What we've decreed as our mission
is to really be an inviter rightof a diverse community of inspire people who
(16:45):
are sharing our strengths as an organizationso that all children and all families live
with our hunger. So we've expandedthat mission to really focus on families as
well. And of course for Women'sHistory Months, it's a great time to
spotlight initiatives that uplift women, especiallysingle mothers and their children. So Lily
and tell us why there's such afocus on single mothers, tell us about
(17:08):
the unique challenges they face and howthey sometimes are particularly vulnerable to a cycle
of generational poverty and hunger. Yes, so, right now, of the
nearly eight point five million single momsin the US, sixty one percent of
them are considered low income. Andthe complexities of this is that, like,
(17:33):
while many single moms work hard,many of them don't have the wages
that are necessary to really afford likefood and the basic neiques and necessities like
for their kids. They're also theprimary caregivers, right, And what does
that mean for being the primary caregiveris that you also need to then think
(17:53):
about how here which is one ofthe most expensive you know, commodities and
inconveniences, right that single moms need, they also need their incomes. So
the work that we're doing is reallytrying to diagnose even further what those complexities
are in partnership with organizations like JeremiahPrograms, so that we can then create
(18:18):
what we are hoping to be theblueprint for the solutions to then provide the
pathway that's necessary for future opportunity gainsfor this population. So that's stuff what
we're partnering to do for better learnand tests in the moment, but also
using our sense as a national organizationto elevate that to the national stage.
And I'm just thinking about what's happenedin recent years from the inflation issue to
(18:41):
housing and rent costs, and ofcourse you mentioned childcare costs. Those certainly
haven't come down. That is probablyand I'd love to get your thoughts on
this, and we'll get to youPorsche in a moment as well. That's
probably putting an even greater strain onthe mothers. I would say without questions
(19:03):
that you know, one of thethings that we saw and uh, you
know last year with when we hadyou know, uh the passage of child
uh low and time child tax creditsat the federal level, it was one
of the first times really you know, in my lifetime history where we saw
a majority of families lists just barelyabove the property level. So many families
(19:26):
was with they out of property becauseof like that passage of that legislation during
that season. So then they alsostill you know, so then that decreased
food security challenges that you know,mothers found themself facing, but that did
not necessarily address you know, thehousing costs, the transportation costs, the
childcare costs that it really is necessaryso that a mother can just buy basic
(19:53):
things and to take care of thebasic needs of their families. But I
would love for a Portia who isa mom right who is grappling with the
intersectionality of these issues, so it'snot just one super bullet that's going to
actually lift you know, this populationor to really change the sycle generational property
and a hunger for you know,children and their mothers. There's a number
(20:14):
of different issues right that you know, we are committed to elevating as the
national organization, but then supporting organizationssuch as Jeremiah Program that are addressing them
on the front line, Supporting beautifulmothers, beautiful strong women such as Porsches
so that taking better take care oftheir children. I'm Ryan Gorman, joined
by Lillian Singh, Senior vice presidentfor Family Economic Mobility at Share Our Strength
(20:37):
and Porscha Jackson, who participated inthe Jeremiah Program, which we're going to
discuss in a moment. You canlearn more about this organization and the work
they do at Share Our Strength dotorg. Again, that's Share our Strength
dot org. One more quick questionfor you, Lillian, the Jeremiah program.
Can you give us kind of abroad overview of how this works and
(21:00):
the grantees. Who are some ofthe grantees and why are they selected?
Right now? What we've done overthe last year is we identify twenty eight
partners across the Countess Geremia being intwelb state, twenty of partners in twelve
states, and our ultimate you knowmission and identifying these partners is to create
(21:22):
a portfolio that we believe we candemonstrate as investible bodies of work and as
investible best practices to do two things. Increase income and wages for single moms
to support them in overcoming the uniquebarriers they face as the primary caretakers of
(21:44):
their children, and too, reducethe cost burdens that these family space and
bringing nutritious foods into their homes.Oftentimes the same population with low incomes but
with you know, have the desireand our you know, frankly over employee
and underpay live in places where fuitassessing fresh food and affordable suit is one
(22:08):
of the most hirable variable expenses.Stay safe as moms. So our goal
is to bring in technological solutions andbreak corporate partners to really understand what those
barriers are, but partner with themto create the solutions. Poor Schelle,
let me bring you into the conversation. Now, tell us how the support
(22:29):
of the Jeremiah program benefited you specificallyand your children. Yeah. So I
just want to be very transparent thatI graduated from Jeremiah twenty years ago,
so well actually twenty one years agonow, But Jeremia at that time I
had sushield and now I'll have five. But Jeremiah really put me on the
(22:52):
trajectory to like excel. So,you know, before I came there,
I was homele with you know,I didn't really know what I wanted to
do in life, and it just, you know, was a program that
kind of helped me figure some ofthose things out, and it really gave
me the foundation and stability to beable to go to school. So I
(23:12):
was there for two and a halfyears, a little under two and a
half years, and I earned myAssociates and Science degree in Human services while
I was there, so I wasable to leave with a degree. But
you know, while there, Igot to be you know, I was
exposed to all kinds of different differentthings and resources in regards to emotional intelligence
(23:36):
in regards to financial you know,learned about finance and things like that.
And also just having the the ecosystemof having other women who were doing the
same thing as me at the sametime with small children. And you know
a lot of those women I'm stillfriends with twenty one years later. So
(23:59):
it definitely helped out a lot withjust knowing that there is a support system,
that there are resources out there,if there's a place that really wants
to succeed and excel, and notonly yourself, what generation is after you.
And you know, that really helpedmy family to do things that they
probably would not be able to dowithout Jeremiah. Right now, I have
(24:21):
a master's degree and I'm a directorat a local nonprofit, Twin City's Habitat
for Humanity. And then my twoolder children, one of them is an
entrepreneur and the other one that hassecured her job at her workplace the last
five years. So without that stabilityand that foundation, yeah, we might
(24:42):
have been able to get there,but it probably would have taken longer and
maybe would we would not have gottenas far as we have. So,
you know, I really give Jeremiahthe kudos for helping us establish hopefully generations
worth of prosperity and wealth. I'mRyan Gorman, joined now by Lillian Singh,
Senior Vice president for Family Economic Mobilityand Share Our Strength and Porscha Jackson,
(25:06):
who participated in Share Our Strengths Jeremiahprogram. You can learn more about
this organization and the work they dois Share Our Strength dot org. So,
Porsie, how did you first comeacross the Jeremiah Program? How did
you first get connected? Yeah,so I had a friend who actually lived
there when it first opened, andI think Jeremiah started in nineteen ninety nine,
(25:27):
so a couple of years before Ibecame a participant, and you know,
I was like, oh, thisis great. There. You know,
there's a housing like a housing opponent, so you you know, have
a two or three risum party whereit's subsidized and you're able to go to
school. That's the focus school,and then on by childcare. So then
your children, if they're under five, they will be able to go to
(25:48):
school right downstairs from where they lived. So, you know, at the
time and I heard about it,I wasn't really in a good space.
Again, I was homeless and notknowing what really I wanted to do with
life. But I think that knowingthat that that Jeremiah existed just gave me
a little bit of a spark ofyou know, I actually can do this.
I actually can go and seek highereducation, so then I can you
(26:11):
know, do more in the workforce. So after about a year, I
applied and there was a very rigorousapplication process, and we worked at it,
and you know, we got inthere and I worked very hard to
make sure that I maintained you know, a good GPA, and then I
was passing all my classes, soI was on track to graduate on time.
And I really got a lot ofsupport not only from the people like
(26:34):
my coach, I'm John Finberg,who you know, really pushed me,
but like everybody who worked at Jeremiah, So from you know, the front
desk staff to the uh worked inthe talcaust and it was like it was
a really great environment where everybody kindof knew what our goals were and they
(26:56):
were very supportive of it. Soyeah, it was just a very very
enriching and like love the environment thatI was able to participate in. And
I really you know, have alwayscontinued to volunteer and speak at different events
and just be connected to Jeremiah becauseof where it got me. That support
(27:18):
system. Was that something that youdidn't have in your life for your family
before you came across jeremiah program.No, yeah, I didn't have any
of that. You know, I'mthe first person to graduate college in my
family, so you know, Ididn't really have anywhere to pool from in
regards to any advice or any supportbecause you know, I was a trail
(27:44):
blazer. Nobody had done it before. So it's being an environment where education
is one of the most important thingsand development as a person, as a
woman, as a mother was alsovery important. Was great, Like I
don't I know, I could havedone it, but it would have been
much have you lived if it wasn'tfor Jeremiah and the Spoor system that again
(28:06):
I found from the SAB but alsofor people that didn't have to even forward
to me like they did. SoI did not have that, and I'm
so thankful that Jeremiah provided. EmptyLily, And let me turn back to
you for one final question. Whatcan everyone listening do to support the work
you do? A share our strengthand this program which has helped Portia and
(28:26):
so many others. So one ofthe things that we're looking for right now
in this moment is support as webuild out our communications society and our campaign
to uplift the amazing assets of thispopulation. And you also learn more about
us on our website on how toactually doing our movement as we could change
(28:47):
to actually support amazing programs such asJeremiah program on the front lines, day
in the day out. Lily andSingh, senior vice president for Family Economic
Mobility at Share Our Strength and Jacksonwho participated in Share Our Strengths Jeremiah program
with us. You can learn moreabout the work this organization does and again
support all of that work, includingthe Jeremiah program at Shareourstrength dot org.
(29:14):
That's Shareourstrength dot Org. Lillian Porsche, I want to thank you both so
much for the work you're doing andfor coming on the show. We really
appreciate it. Thank you, Thankyou. All right, and that's going
to do it for this edition ofiHeartRadio Communities. As we wrap things up,
I want to offer a big thanksto all of our guests and of
course to all of you for listening. If you want to hear previous episodes
of this show, We're on youriHeartRadio app. Just search for iHeartRadio communities.
(29:38):
I'm your host, Ryan Gorman.We'll talk to you again real soon.
Popular Podcasts
1. The Podium
The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.
2. In The Village
In The Village will take you into the most exclusive areas of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to explore the daily life of athletes, complete with all the funny, mundane and unexpected things you learn off the field of play. Join Elizabeth Beisel as she sits down with Olympians each day in Paris.
3. iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2024 Olympics.