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Connections

Amid SNAP gaps, communities step up to help feed families

Brighton Food Cupboard, operated by Jewish Family Services.
Brighton Food Cupboard
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YouTube
Doreen Young, a curbside ambassador with Foodlink's Curbside Market and her granddaughter, Bailey Thomas, wait for  U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer to begin a press conference Tuesday, May 27, at the 3rd Presbyterian Church Food Cupboard in Rochester. Young who used SNAP benefits to raise her family as a working single mother spoke about her concern for families with food insecurity will be impacted by the House spending bill that cut $300 billion cut to SNAP funding. The federal government's SNAP program is the United States primary anti-hunger program that provides thousands of seniors, families, and children from going hungry by providing financial assistance to purchase food.

12:00: Amid SNAP gaps, communities step up to help feed families

1:00: From stage to screen: reviewing 'Hamilton' and 'Wicked: For Good'

With all of the recent confusion about SNAP and the concern for families who have lost benefits, community members and local organizations are stepping up. In advance of Thanksgiving, we talk about some of those efforts, how you can access food if you need it, and how you can help. Our guests:

  • Noelle Evans, education reporter and producer for WXXI News
  • Mitch Gruber, senior vice president and chief impact officer at Foodlink, and member of Rochester City Council
  • Chris Lavin, nonprofit consultant with Upstate Giving and member of Geneva City Council  
  • Deb MacLean, part-time manager of the Geneseo/Groveland Emergency Food Pantry

Then in our second hour, Broadway seems to be everywhere you look these days. A touring production of "Hamilton" was recently on stage in Rochester. Despite the show being ten years old, it still drew a packed house. Meanwhile, the "Wicked" sequel, "Wicked: For Good," hit theaters last week. Two local critics — David Andreatta and Johanna Lester — reviewed those performances for CITY Magazine. This hour, we explore why audiences keep flocking to these popular stories, how they are holding up, and the idea of self-reflection versus escapism in the current moment. Our guests:

  • David Andreatta, freelance contributor to CITY Magazine
  • Johanna Lester, freelance contributor to CITY Magazine

"Connections with Evan Dawson" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.

Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.

Connections with Evan Dawson

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