When there was an unprecedented time of need … food banks across America met it with an unprecedented response.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Until Red & Black started taking some interesting detours, Red never thought about food banks and didn't understand everything that they do; and although Black did, it wasn't until the pandemic that she fully appreciated how many people face food insecurity (in 2021, it could be over 40 million people, including 13 million children).
Red's perspective changed when we started doing speaking engagements across the country for the Morgridge Family Foundation back in 2014-2015. Their conference not only attracted K-12 teachers but also educators teaching at organizations, such as food banks. At the Orlando event, we were introduced to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, and after a tour of its facilities and conversations with its innovative President and CEO and the Life Skills Education Manager, Red quickly realized how little she knew about food banks,
Who knew that food banks provided so much more than just food? Well, I certainly didn't! How was I to know they provided life skills classes (including learning about money) and taught technical skills to help prepare individuals for a successful career (not just a job) in the food industry? Which reminds me of that quote, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
Black, on the other hand, was already familiar with the Feeding America organization (approximately 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries across the country), often being a lifeline for those in need. So, she wasn't surprised that when the pandemic struck, they were there on the front line as the need for food skyrocketed. But still, she was caught off-guard,
What I find disheartening is the number of people who were first-time food bank recipients – people who in the past might have been donors or volunteers. Just look at the pictures of the cars, some very nice cars, waiting in line for hours, hoping to get food for their children, their neighbors, and, possibly, themselves. We have not seen food lines in America since the Great Depression, and they are a frightening reminder of the devastation of the pandemic. Yet, at the same time, we are reminded how critical food banks are to the well-being of communities. And, dependent on the generosity of others.
If you feel that you've been fortunate during the pandemic, please consider reaching out to help others that are less fortunate by donating – money or time – to your local Feeding America Food Bank.
When the news is challenging or life’s stressful, there’s something comforting about Girl Scout cookies. Always has been, which is why we’re rerunning this post from several years ago.
Girl Scouts, though, are about so much more than cookies, as year-round girls learn important life skills, gain confidence, and discover leadership skills. But buying cookies is such a sweet way (sorry, we couldn’t resist) to support the organization. Red’s favorite is the classic shortbread (now known as Trefoils), and Black buys a large assortment and gives them all away.
But hurry! Cookie season ends on March 23.
P.S. - If S’mores and Toast-Yay! are your favorites … make sure you stock up as this is the last year they’ll be available.
Let's play word association. If we say, "Girl Scouts," what's the first word that comes to mind? Ok, what's the second word?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: When Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout meeting – hoping to create an organization that redefined what was possible for girls everywhere – there was no way for her to know the difference it would make in the lives of millions of girls and their communities.
Many people's first (and sometimes only) image of Girl Scouts is as cookie salespeople – either selling door-to-door or at a make-shift table at a grocery or other store (or having their parents hand you an order form). But if you've been a Girl Scout (both of us have) or know someone who has, you know that Girl Scouts are about so much more.
So, as we celebrate the Girls Scouts being around for over 100 years, we should celebrate the years of fun and friendships, and for helping girls learn important qualities such as responsibility, courage, strength, and independence. Qualities that are as important in 2021 as they were in 1912.
And what better way to celebrate than to buy some Girl Scout cookies? Guilt-free as you're helping a good cause.
Today’s turbulent times for Jews may overshadow the celebration of the Jewish New Year, one of the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Yet, ironically, we feel it should strengthen its significance, as the holiday is a time for reflection on the past and hope for the future.
If you think today’s politics are ugly … let’s talk about a man who named himself “dictator for life” of the Roman empire, and is then assassinated by a group of senators, including his best friend. (However, there’s a “pretty” part – Cleopatra was his mistress.) Food trivia and leadership lessons aside, the fact July is named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …
Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.
Which is what got Red to realize, much to her surprise (shock, if truth be told), that even as a straight-A student with a love of history, that when it came to Julius Caesar, a famous historical figure and possibly one of the greatest generals and statesmen of all time, she couldn't tell you dates or battles or anything "historical" associated with him.
Even as a theater major in college, she never read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," although she knew just enough about the play to know that it was where the fortune teller warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." Instead, her knowledge of Caesar came from her love of movies.
My first, and probably my most enduring, memory is of a brilliant general who not only commanded armies as he conquered lands far from home but was a great statesman who was also involved with one of the world's most beautiful women. And while he was Julius Caesar and the woman was Cleopatra, to me, they'll always be Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, a movie almost as controversial as the general himself.
And Black? Besides knowing that Caesar Salad was invented by a different Caesar, she appreciates Julius Caesar's leadership skills and way with words,
There is much we can learn about leadership from Julius Caesar, whether on the battlefield, in politics, or in business (start small, take risks, communicate well), including what ultimately led to his death (always consider worst-case scenarios, never get complacent or arrogant). Many of his quotes speak (pun intended) to his powerful way with words, and the ability to not only deliver a message but to inspire (and story tell), with my favorite being, "I came, I saw, I conquered."