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Good Morning America’ co-anchor and former White House Communications Director George Stephanopoulos joins hosts Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss politics, the media, and the drastic differences between the Trump and Biden Administrations.

Can we shift our historic stigma about people living in poverty? Princeton poverty researcher and author Kathryn Edin joins hosts Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss how changes to certain tax credits in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief American Rescue Plan will give more Americans support to move out of poverty. “We have turned 400 years of history about how we treat the poor and think about the poor... on its head,” says Edin. “The message [these new credits] is sending to people who are struggling is, ‘we trust you and we want to support you.’ This is literally the opposite of the message we’ve been sending for over 400 years.”

 

Edin describes the welfare reforms in the 1990s that were based on the fear that recipients would become dependent on the system. “The pandemic has revealed this sea of need that was sitting underneath the radar for the last 25-30 years since we reformed the welfare system, steadily growing worse,” she reports. “We’ve created a very expensive problem: generations of children who aren’t getting the basics that they need to thrive and that affects the whole economy,” Edin believes. “Providing this kind of stability is really going to enable people to get out of the tunnel and lead to the kind of long-term thinking that can aid in mobility from poverty,” she concludes.

 

Join us to learn about how these historic tax credits can create hope for so many Americans and how we can all work to make these new supports permanent.

 

How do we continue to care for each other as the pandemic draws to a close? Congressman Mike Thompson from California’s 5th District and influential Sacramento chef Patrick Mulvaney join host Billy Shore to discuss how the pandemic has affected the food and wine industries. “The [recently-passed] FEED Act is pretty straightforward: It recognizes that at times of disaster, food insecurity is heightened and we need to do more,” says Thompson. “What we saw was empty kitchens, antsy cooks, and foods in the field that weren’t being sold… How can we afford not to?,” recalls Mulvaney about coordinating with funders like No Kid Hungry and Sacramento County and others in his community to deliver more than 250,000 meals through schools and seniors during the pandemic so far.

 

Both changemakers are hopeful about building our country stronger after the pandemic. “I’m excited about the things that we can do. If we work together, there’s no stopping us,” Thompson believes. “What I feel now is hope… There’s a sense that any of us that have made it this far are going to live to see the other side,” says Mulvaney.

 

Join us and be moved by two community leaders who do so much to protect and care for those in need through difficult times.

Former US Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. joins Share Our Strength Managing Director of DEI Robert Simmons and Billy Shore to discuss the inequities in our education system.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream join Billy Shore to talk about feeding hungry kids, police reform, and how businesses can make a difference on social issues.

Bestselling author John Grisham and Share Our Strength Board member Renee Grisham join Billy Shore to discuss their partnership, philanthropy, and how they choose to support issues that are personal to them.