About This Episode

How are kids getting enough nutrition with all the constraints on schools during this pandemic? What about the restaurant industry? In this poignant episode taped early after COVID-19 struck the US, with an updated introduction from host Billy Shore, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and Executive Director of Student Nutrition Services for the San Francisco Unified School District Jennifer Lebarre discuss the challenges for families and workers and the importance of a federal response. “This is nothing short of apocalyptic,” says Zimmern. “We are incredibly reliant on the federal government right now, at a point in time where many of us have felt a lack of leadership and a lack of empathy for the last couple years.” Lebarre explains how school meals are an essential service for over half of San Francisco public school students. “It is a day-to-day struggle,” she relays. “As this crisis continues, more and more families are going to have to rely on the national school lunch program.”   Listen to learn how two passionate advocates for kids and restaurant workers are helping during the crisis.  

Resources and Mentions:

Andrew Zimmern

Host

A four-time James Beard award-winning TV personality, chef, writer, teacher and social justice advocate. In 2020, Andrew returned to television with two new programs, What's Eating America premiering on MSNBC in February and a series airing in October on a Discovery lifestyle channel. As the creator, executive producer and host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods franchise, Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food and The Zimmern List, he has explored cultures in more than 170 countries, promoting impactful ways to think about, create and live with food. Andrew is the founder and CEO of both Intuitive Content, a full-service television and digital production company, and Passport Hospitality, a restaurant and food service development company. He is devoted to his charitable endeavors and sits on the board of directors of Services for the UnderServed, Project Explorer/EXPLR, Soigne Hospitality and Taste of the NFL. He is the International Rescue Committee’s Voice for Nutrition. His life’s work is exploring and promoting cultural acceptance, tolerance and understanding through food.

Jennifer_LeBarre

Jennifer LeBarre

Executive Director, Student Nutrition Services

Jennifer joined the San Francisco Unified School District in June 2018 after nearly twenty years in Oakland Unified School District. Jennifer supervises the day to day operations of the district’s school meal program including TK-12 breakfast, lunch, supper and snack, breakfast, lunch, and snack for Early Education sites. The mission of Student Nutrition Services is to nourish our students with quality food that enables them to live healthy lives and thrive inside & out of the classroom. Jennifer also works at the state and national level to improve school meals, increase access to the meal program, and increase locally sourced food. She believes that providing healthy and delicious meals is critical for the success of students, families and the community.

SUS

Services for the UnderServed

https://sus.org/about-us/

Services for the UnderServed drives scalable solutions to transform the lives of people with disabilities, people in poverty and people facing homelessness: solutions that contribute to righting societal imbalances.