About This Episode

Americans everywhere are asking whether values like equality and upward mobility are being advanced or set back by President Trump’s proposed budget cuts. In this time of heated debate, Add Passion and Stir guests Chef Matt Jennings of Townsman in Boston and William Foster of The Bridgespan Group share their expertise on how we can activate the sense of urgency many of us feel right now. These two leaders chat with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about how they and others are leading change right now during this ‘scary time’ for social justice. Chef Matt notes that “A fire has been lit… and it’s burning hotter and brighter than ever before,” and William believes that “threats and challenges can bring out greatness.” Chef Matt describes the work he is doing connecting with his restaurant guests, the broader community, and his own employees to ensure everyone has access to food and a fair standard of living. William outlines how he is helping both philanthropists and social justice nonprofits see the opportunities to drive transformative change in this unsettled time. Be inspired by how these industries are rallying to make it better.

Resources and Mentions:

No Kid Hungry logo

No Kid Hungry

http://nokidhungry.org/

Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

William-Foster

Bridgespan

Works to build a better world by strengthening the ability of mission-driven organizations and philanthropists to achieve breakthrough results in addressing society’s most important challenges and opportunities. It is a global nonprofit organization that collaborates with mission-driven leaders, organizations, philanthropists, and investors to break cycles of poverty and dramatically improve the quality of life for those in need. They are passionate about helping to find solutions to ensure equal opportunity and core human and civil rights. To achieve these objectives, they concentrate on four broad fields: education; children, youth, and families; public health; and global development. Their services include consulting to nonprofits and philanthropists, leadership development support, and developing and sharing insights—all with the goal of scaling social impact. What they learn from collaborating closely with social sector leaders, complimented by rigorous research, they share broadly to advance social change. The “bridge” in Bridgespan symbolizes their ability to connect and learn from the social and business sectors, donors and grantees, and ideas and practice.

Matt Jennings

Townsman

http://townsmanboston.com/

Townsman is a brasserie-inspired, New England restaurant, located on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Downtown Boston. Townsman sources pristine ingredients from the surrounding area with menus reflective of sustainability and seasonality, celebrating the Northeast growing region and waters. Townsman is lively and convivial with a refined sensibility and a welcoming atmosphere, reminiscent of your favorite neighborhood haunt.

Anti-Defamation League

https://www.adl.org/

To stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.

Meals on Wheels

http://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/

We galvanize the resources of local community organizations, businesses, donors, sponsors, government and more than two million volunteers into a national safety net for our seniors.