Food insecurity impacts millions, but communities are rising to meet the challenge – especially in a climate where many are unsure if there will be continued federal aid for relief programs. This episode of Meat and Three dives into the innovative and compassionate efforts reshaping food access in Chicago, Oregon, and Texas. From traditional food pantries to mutual aid programs, we spotlight organizations providing holistic care for our neighbors in need.

Further Reading:

Don’t forget to sign up for our Weekly HRN Newsletter to get all the latest news from our storytelling communities. Sign up is at the bottom of our homepage!

Read more about the Black Panther Party’s Free School Breakfast program here.

Check out Ravenswood Community Services and the work they do. If you are interested in volunteering for their Tuesday night pantry, Saturday pantry, community kitchen, or after school pantry, please sign up.

What to learn more about the Greater Chicago Food Depository? Visit their site to learn about all their programs and efforts across Chicagoland.

Get more information on Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Retail Food Rescue Program.

VeggiesRx is a program supported by the Chicago Botanic Garden and Lawndale Christian Center. To learn more about the Farm on Ogden and other programs on site.

Learn more about the USDA’s GusNIP grant program!

The Farmer’s Market fund can be found here.

Can you double your spending power at the farmers’ market? Check out Double Up Food Bucks.

Want to support your local Food Not Bombs? Find your nearest one here, and see what the Laredo Food not Bombs is up to on instagram.

This episode of Meat and Three was reported by Ash Tyler, Bean Metcalf, and Zariel Grullón.

Our lead producer on this episode was Ash Tyler, with support from Maya Okindo, Hieu Huynh, Jessie Nicley, and Kiki Canuto.

Meat and Three is produced by H Conley and Taylor Early.

Our audio engineer for this episode was Sam Gerardi.

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

In this first episode of Love Letters to the Lower East Side Girls Club, we introduce you to your host and producer, Sasha DuBose (they/she), and the girls they taught during the Fall 2024 Flavor and Folklore after-school program at the Lower Eastside Girls Club. Tune in to follow along as Sasha shares the exciting things that they taught the LESGC Members, and the lessons learned in the process. And a few delicious recipes (and heehee hahas) too!

This episode of Love Letters was brought to you by the LESGC Flavor and Folklore Members Amelia Rodriguez, Astan Kaba, Shayla James, Rae McGee, Noni Johnson, Symone Carre, Melissa Gregory, and Imani Hughes.

For more information about The Lower East Side Girls Club, click here.

Check out more information about HRN’s storytelling education programming (updates coming soon!) here.

Listen to Sasha’s stories on Meat & Three here.

Here is one of Sasha’s many recipes for collard greens.

If you want to have a Black Ass Tuesday of your own, check out Sasha’s all-time family favorite.

If you want to make Rae and Imani’s Jamaican staple, click here.

Learn more about the history behind Symone’s favorite Haitian dish, click here.

Heritage Radio Scholars offers high school students the opportunity to learn audio reporting techniques while discovering how food shapes the world around them. The program empowers young girls to connect with their culture, community, and themselves through food — all while honing their storytelling skills. HRN collaborated in Fall of 2024 with The Lower East Side Girls Club to create the Love Letters to the LES Girls Podcast through our newest iteration of the Heritage Radio Scholars Flavor and Folklore, a 10-week after school high school program serving the girls and femmes of the LES Girls Club.

Love Letters to the LES Girls Club is exactly what it sounds like. HRN’s Digital Media Educator Sasha DuBose shares her experiences teaching the food storytelling course of their dreams. Combined with anecdotes from the girls she taught, the Love Letters Podcast highlights just how special this program was for everyone involved. The podcast series premieres February 14th, so expect something in the mail!

Love Letters to the LES Girls Club was reported by the LESGC Flavor and Folklore Members Kiyerra Braveboy, Astan Kaba, Shayla James, Amelia Rodriguez, Symone Carre, Noni Johnson, Imani Hughes, Rae McGee, and Melissa Gregory, with support from Santanah Thomas.

Love Letters to the LES Girls Club is produced by Sasha DuBose and Taylor Early.

Our audio engineer is Sam Gerardi.

Support the Heritage Radio Scholars program by becoming a member!

Love Letters to the LES Girls Club is Powered by Simplecast.

It’s a new year, and with it comes new bites, new recipes, and, for many, new meal prep. While this practice is designed to make life easier, there are a few obstacles that you might encounter when preparing meals ahead of time.. Tune in to this week’s episode of Meat and Three as we discuss the realities of meal prepping, including struggles the very real struggles of making a meal for a family of five, finding specific ingredients in a cultural food desert, and cooking with ADHD.

Further Reading:

To read more about women’s unpaid labor, you can find The New York Times article here.

Learn more about Hieu’s journey for pork belly here.

Visit Zariel Grullón’s website to learn more about their work and wellness journey.

For a better solution to managing food waste at home, check out Mill—the odorless food recycler.

Visit the Atwater Village Farmers Market the next time you’re in Los Angeles!

Get all the latest tricks and tips in eco-friendly and sustainable living with the Commons app.

This episode of Meat and Three was reported by Taylor Graham, Hieu Huynh, Jessie Nicely, and Kiki Canuto.

Our lead producer on this episode was Taylor Graham, with support from H Conley, Kiki Canuto, Ash Tyler, Maya Okindo, Bean Metcalf, and Jessie Nicely.

Meat and Three is produced by H Conley and Taylor Early.

Our audio engineer for this episode was Sam Gerardi.

Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

SFX Licenses:

FX_Car_Door_and_Honks01.WAV by PeteBarry - https://freesound.org/people/PeteBarry/sounds/494166/ - License: Attribution 4.0 (TG)