Letter from Lauren: September 2023

Hi Friends,

I’m thrilled to share that my letters are back! And they will live on our freshly updated blog – the Everyday Activist!  I founded FEED 16 years ago with the mission to raise funds and awareness to help fight hunger. I did so because I had the privilege of witnessing this major global issue – and the solution – firsthand in my travels with our partners at WFP. To me, the issue of hunger is not just a cause, it is one of the most pressing social justice issues of our time. 

I am so proud that we have been able to help provide over 125 million school meals to kids around the globe – and counting. But candidly, I wake up most days discouraged by the weight and scale of the world's problems. The issue of climate change alone (which is closely tied to our ability to produce and distribute enough food to feed the world) is extremely daunting. As an activist at heart, it is so easy to get discouraged and not know where to begin. We hope that the Everyday Activist can be a place to share solutions and encouragement when it comes to tackling hunger and some of the world’s most pressing issues, among other things (like recipes and inspiration). 

Mr Rogers famously said – “When I was a young boy and I would see scary things on the news,  my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

I am excited to shine a light on some of these helpers and doers who are on the front lines of creating change, who are putting forth ideas or building organizations that are shifting paradigms and truly moving the needle. We will also get advice and tips from experts related to how best to parent our little activists, how to eat and live healthier and more sustainably, and ultimately how to take action when and where it matters most.

In the past few years, I have become increasingly obsessed with how to show up each day a better version of myself, so that in turn I can show up for my family, my community, my work, and the world at large a more present and grounded person and thus a more effective change-maker.  I believe that being an activist at any scale is a humbling experience, and ultimately one that takes a lot of self-awareness, courage, and willingness to listen, learn, and evolve.

As we kick off a new season and a fresh new thread of content,  I am super excited to engage in a rich dialogue with our FEED community about what it means to be a citizen of the world, a conscious consumer, a better parent, an individual trying to make the world  better one small action at a time. Or in other words – an Everyday Activist.  

On a Mission:

This week, we launched an advocacy campaign centered around The 2023 Farm Bill, in particular, the SNAP program that this bill authorizes. As Congress likely files for an extension, the bill expires today (9/30). This impacts  access to healthy meals for millions of families and kids facing hunger. Voice your opinion – tell your representatives how important it is to you that they collaborate on a bipartisan bill that not only protects, but strengthens, SNAP. We made it easy with a No Kid Hungry tool and a script on our Instagram. 

Reading:

Elise Loehnen’s “On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good” has been a revelation for me personally on so many levels. In it Loehnen (who also hosts one of my favorite podcasts called ‘Pulling the Thread’) explores the history of the patriarchy and the many ways our culture (and in turn ourselves) holds women to standards of goodness that ultimately do not serve us or society. By exposing the root of deeply held cultural beliefs (i.e. the seven deadly sins) that continue to influence how women are able to show up in the world, Loehnen helps free us and chart a new path forward that is more equitable and ultimately more integrated and true. This is a must read for all women – and men! 

Nourishment:

Since the start of summer, I have been making veggie curries with tofu over rice as my go-to quick, easy, and seasonal meal. I do this mostly without a recipe, just tasting as I go and utilizing whatever veggies I have in my fridge. Here is my best attempt at a recipe, but feel free to improvise and make this your own…

1. Wash and chop vegetables in chunky (approx. 1 inch) cubes or slices.  Start with one red onion. Keep the onion slices separate from your other veggies. Improvise with whatever veggies you have on hand, but a mix I recommend is – 1 large head of broccoli, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 2 medium zucchini, 4 scallions, ¼ of a green or purple cabbage (scale the amount of veggies according to how many you are cooking for).
2. Cut your tofu in half, wrap it in a towel and put the wrapped tofu under a heavy pot or something with a little weight to help drain the tofu of liquid. Leave for 10-15 mins. After that time, cube your tofu (1” cubes) and put in a large mixing bowl. Coat the tofu with coconut or avocado oil and season with salt, garlic powder, turmeric and curry powder. 
3. Sautee the red onion in a large skillet using ghee and a pinch of salt. Cook the onions until they are a bit soft.
4. Add all the other vegetables to the skillet. Add curry powder (1 tablespoon), a little garlic powder, and turmeric (1 teaspoon) and season with salt to taste.  Sautee for about 5 mins then add a can of coconut milk.  
5. Cook all the veggies until they are soft, but still vibrant in color. Continue to taste as you go and season with curry powder and salt to taste.   
6. In a separate skillet, heat ghee (or coconut or avocado oil) and then saute the seasoned tofu until the cubes are lightly golden on all sides. 
7. Serve the veggies and tofu with basmati rice or wild rice. Top with cilantro and sunflower seeds or unsalted peanuts.
8. Enjoy!  This warming and nourishing curry recipe is really simple and a crowd pleaser!   

How I Wear It:

September in NYC is a lot. Getting back into the groove with back-to-school, work, and life in general has been made easier by my FEED Suede Sling Bag, which keeps me organized from day to night as I bop around town.