About This Episode

Well before the school year ends for American children , advocates like former USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Stacy Dean and Hawaii-based consumer advocate and substance abuse counselor Zahava “Zee” Zaidoff are planning how to feed kids over the summer. “The experience of hunger, in and of itself, is a terrible thing. But hunger amongst children is so much more devastating... They don't need food just to maintain, but also to grow and thrive,” says Dean. Many layers of government, organizations, and individuals are ensuring that kids get access to meals during the summer months. “This is not just about the kids that we're trying to feed. This is about - fortunately and unfortunately - systemic change that has to happen around the entire system,” Zaidoff emphasizes.  

Resources and Mentions:

Stacy Dean

Stacy Dean

Executive Director

Stacy Dean is the Carbonell Family Executive Director of the Global Food Institute at George WashingtonUniversity. Dean champions the institute’s mission to change the world through the power of food. She is a renowned national food policy leader with more than 30 years of experience in the government and non-profit sectors, dedicated to improving nutrition assistance for struggling Americans and tackling barriers ingrained within nutrition programs. Her distinguished career includes her most recent role as the Deputy Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, where she led the Administration’s work on federal nutrition programs. In this role, Dean was instrumental in strengthening the agency’s efforts on food and nutrition security as well as local food systems and resilience.     h

Zee Zaidoff

Zahava “Zee” Zaidoff

Advocate

Zahava “Zee” Zaidoff is originally from Southern California. She moved with her family to the Big Island of Hawaii ten years ago. She holds several certifications including: Masters Level Registered Addiction Specialist and Certified Co-Occurring Disorder Specialist. At Hope 808, Zee is passionate about advocating for a safer and healthier life for all, and she does this through legislative advocacy, working with community grassroots movements, education based trainings, and working with non profit organizations. Working with the LGBTQIA+ community, fighting for disability rights, creating an equitable and just federal and state benefits system, removing stigma from the behavioral health narratives, and focusing on youth suicide prevention are main focuses of Zee's advocacy and education work. Zee believes that authentic conversations and sharing of life experiences is the critical and missing piece in our systems, and that lived expertise must be elevated if lasting change is to be attained.