who on a regular basis may not know where their next meal is coming from. what's really upsetting to us, a few years ago, feeding america conducted a national study called map the gap. >> okay. >> in maryland, you know , basically what it told us was of the food insecure nearly half of them were finding ways to feed themselves, which is very interesting. >> what does that mean? >> it means that -- you know, that's kind of feeding america asking that question as well. how do we dive into that population and find out how are you handling it? >> right. >> what we know then also is that half of the people then that we serve are people who are not eligible for any federal programs as you mentioned earlier. >> let me stop you. i hate to cut you off . >> sure. >> are they the work ing poor? >> they are. >> that seems like an amazing thing to me. you have people who are working, have jobs but these are -- many of them still

don't know where their next meal is coming from. >> that's right. that's true even of people who e closer to the poverty line. >> okay. >> we assume that people are either homeless. a lot of people think hungry people are homeless or people not working. that's not the case. >> that's not true. >> these are people who are working, sometimes two and three jobs, trying to reach and build the american dream that we all think that we're entitled too. it doesn't happen because they're not making enough money to pay everything that they have to pay to subsist and keep food on the table. >> many are getting by but not ahead. >> that is correct. they are treading water. i woud dare say going under water now and again. >> being able to pinpoint where the need is can't be -- can't be easy. i know we have a lot of partners. we're going to talk to tom shortly with movable

feast. how do you find them, how do you help folks out there? >> the way we're structured to the work through a network of 900 agencies. we've gotten involved with more direct service programming. for instance, we built out or mobile food pantry program. this fiscal year we will do 850 mobile pantry events. that means that all around the state we'll be working with agencies to meet with their clients and directly serve them. so we infuse 6,000 pounds of food into the community with no taxation basically on the physical plant or the volunteer base or the finances of the agencies that we work with. >> which is a big help to them because too much over head then effects how they're able to distribute food out to those in need. >> exactly. >> i want to get into this because we talked about this in

the beginning, the food safety net. that's another term i'd like you to define. many people might assume that the government's food stamp program would help those that need it. that's what i would assume. the truth is there's a large number of people who don't qualify for it. >> well, it's an income thresh hold. i think it's 135% of poverty level income. so poverty level income for -- let me think. for a family of four is $22,000 and change. >> yeah. >> so 135% of tha t, that's what qualifies you for food stamps. >> for a family of four? >> exactly. >> i wouldn't understand in a state like maryland how a family of four would survive off $40,000 a year. >> exactly. if you earn that much you're out of the realm. >> all together. >> that's right. that's why people who are not eligible for those types of programs are now showing up at food shelves all

over. >> right. there's a discussion that i know you've been having with people in general as you go around and talk. that is, we're attacking the problem on a surface level but we're not getting to the root of the problem. sometimes you feel like we're putting out -- with the food banks work though you know it's helpful we're putting a band-aid on a gusher. >> here's how i really feel about this. hunger is immediate, urgent, today now. there's a kid that's hungry right now. there's a family that doesn't have any food right now. so the food bank's work is acutely focused on that first and foremost. secondly it speaks to a couple of higher level things. one is you mentioned government. you know, there's got to be the three legged stool here. it's got to be private non-profits. it's got to be government.

it's got to be every single citizen that believes that everyone has the right to a decent meal. so what we're doing as a food bank is to not just say, okay, we're going to end this problem by ourselves or with our network of 900 agencies, it's going to be making sure that food stamp funding doesn't get cut, that state governments acknowledge there's an issue and can be as supportive as possible. then private citizens to actually build a movement. we know that whether there's a will there's a way. >> right. >> if the general pop ular starts saying we don't want a maryland where there are hungry people my guess is that we would really start making some headway. >> before you go, we are calling this hunger action month right now in september. >> yes. >> there's an up kom coming campaign to draw attention which includes a hunger action symposium. talk to us about that. >> be a voice is our new tag that we're using for this campaign this year. it's a fabulous program.

it's free of charge. just go to mdfoodbank.org and sign up and come. we're having wonderful speakers. the new ceo of feeding america will be there. dan glickman, the former secretary of the fda. >> i worked with him in kansas. >> he's a great guy . he's been in antihunger initiatives for a long time. he's one of our keynote speakers. the governor is going to make an appearance. at lunchtime we will present awards as the partners who are the most helpful in this past year. >> thank you for telling us what's happening with the food bank and giving our listeners and viewers an idea of where the problem is. >> take action. >> be a voice. you can support them by calling 410-737-8282. you can attend the symposium

september 27th from 8:30 to 3:30 at martin's west. register by

pepper jack cheese, mushrooms, jalapeños, bacon, tomato and avocado.

i call it, "the avocado da vinci". create your om'lart with denny's build your own omelette menu. welcome back. you're watching and listening to on time. we're talking about food today. every aspect of it in fact. nutritionally appropriate food is a key ingredient for anyone battling a critical disease like aids or cancer. movable feasts provides foods to those to stem the appetite. joining us this morning is their executive director, tom. welcome back. always a pleasure. >> thank you very much. >> talk to us about the mission of movable feasts if you will. >> for almost 25 years now in the greater baltimore community we've been providing nutrition meals for people with aids, cancer. a lot of these folks

are leaving the hospital maybe after a diagnosis, surgery or in the process of treatment. they get home have no one to prepare their meals for them. they can't do it themselves, go shopping. we're a home delivered meal program that makes sure they have nutritionally proper meals. the feed they need while going through treatment or care is specific to them. last year provided almost 600,000 meals to about 3,400. >> that's quite a big geographic region that you serve. how critical is food for someone with an illness? >> our philosophy is that food as important as medicine. if you get a discharge plan from the hospital and they're telling you about your meds and to go to pt and not taking about how are you eating and what is your diet that something is missing there.

we're that missing link to keep people healthy and well and give them with quality of life. >> not to be controversial but maybe. sometimes i wonder, all of us included if we were to eat better might we not need medicine or medical care in the first place. >> one of our end goals is to demonstrate that. it's important to talk about that. that helps reduce medical costs if for individuals. so less infections, fewer visits to an emergency room, all you reduce costs of medical care which in the end means a more affordable health care system for you and h me. we play an important roll. >> where is movable feast ? >> in east baltimore six blocks east of hopkins. >> do you have satellite locations? >> we don't. everything feeds out of there rt now. >> no pun intend ed ed by feeds out of there. >> no problem. we hope to have a sat

ellite location on the eastern shore within the next 6 months. >> i want to give people an idea of how the operation works. it's a very big operation, 600,000 is a lot of meals. give us an idea of how meals are prepared and shipped out through a number of volunteers. >> we have a 10,000 square foot commercial kitchen. we have five kitchen employees and two executive chefs. if it wasn't for the 3,500 individual volunteers we had last year to do the cutting of -- >> food prep. >> we would never be able to do and establish what we do each day. >> well. >> so it's really important to us. >> meals when they go out, are they sit out fresh, do you freeze them? >> all the meals are prepared fresh. we make our own soups and sauces. they get frozen and they go out frozen. we do a once a week delivery to each one of our clients. volunteers help do delivery as well.

>> what do you do -- you do offer additional home delivered meals; is that correct? >> that's correct. they're all home delivered meal. we also do contract meals in the community. so for some emergency shellers, transitional housing programs so those folks can eat nutritionally balanced meals as well. we make that food available at an affordable cost to those institutions. >> what about the homeless? we have a lot of folks that are homeless. we're not just talk bt about those visible on the streets. there are people who are just moving from place to place, women and children, families who don't have a home. >> sure. we do provide the even ing ing meal at baltimore city's homeless shelter as well as in six drop incenters across the city. we provide about 650 meals a week to those individuals. >> wonderful. let's talk about dining out for life. this is a big event. this is a milestone. i want -- there are a couple of additional thing that you're going to share with our viewers and listeners that is going to

blow them away. this is amazing. >> this is our 20th year that we've been doing movable feasts. that means 20 years of restaurants giving between 20 and 50% of their income. >> we have places like brewers art. >> that's popular. >> john shields, ger trudz gertrudes. in past kich past kitchens. this year he committed 100% of his income of bar and food tab that will come to movable feast. that's incredible. >> that's amazing. >> we have two other restaurants that have increased, gone from 25 to 30%. the bolten is one and alcame in hamden. >> restaurants and businesses are stepping up to help. they want to be a part. >> 51 restaurants this year all two give 20 to 100% of their income that night to movable

feasts. live to eat is a new restaurant. the creamery. the nice ice cream restaurant is part of dining out for life. >> i want to mention out something interesting you all do in addition to providing meals. you offer a culinary training program which i think is interesting because you're helping those that might not have employment get employment. >> we train about 50 individuals from the community each other in culinary food services. our focus is specifically to prepare these individuals to go into the health care industry. so any facilities that are providing services in the health care industry to teach them to do institutional health care-based cooking. wonderful program. we have 10 students now get ting ready to graduate the middle of september. >> that's impressive. dining out for life. >> thursday, september 19th. there are breakfast, lunch and dinner places online.

check out diningoutforlife.com/baltimore. >> if folks want to contribute they can participate at restaurants or online. >> absolutely. get a group together. this is an easy great event to participate in. you'll also be saving lives that night as well. >> quickly, if somebody wants to help deliver meals there's a process they have to go through first. >> they can go to our website mfeast.org. they can complete the volunteer application online. >> always a pleasure. >> thanks. >> i mean that sincerely. attend dining out for life. september 19th, a thursday. for a list of participating restaurants go to diningoutforlife.com/baltimore.

summer may be winding down. that doesn't mean that summer fun can't continue. joining us to talk about baltimore county's 17th annual african american cultural festival is danielle smith the board member and the

festival and also tanya harris. she's the chairwoman of the entertainment program. welcome to on time, both of you. how are you? >> thank you. we're fine. >> the 17th year for the baltimore county heritage festival. i can't believe that. that's amazing. tell us about the history of it, your organization, how it got started. >> well, delegate adrian jones is the founder of the festival. we have a lot of local entertainment, a lot of local entertainment that we like to think that we are bringing them out to the community so that they have exposure to the baltimore area and people know that we have -- we have great talent in baltimore. >> you guys are kind of the hub to allow people to network with one another. >> yes >> and exchange cultural information. when and where is this year's event? >> this year it's at the towson courthouse, september the 21st, which is the third saturday in september. >> tanya, who are going to be some of the entertainers

performing this year? >> welling -- well, for our national act we have mickey howard and kay john. we have a young man we will be featuring. he's coming in from illinois. we have joe may, he's a local talent. >> okay. >> the next level band . we'll a 17-year-old young man who is just being introduced into the industry tyrell. he will be there. >> jerome. >> we'll have a young -- we'll have young vision christian dancers. >> over how many days will it take place? saturday and sunday -- >> one. >> saturday. >> just saturday. we have a lot of accelerate tivities to fill the day from 12:00. >> i was going to say it sounds

like -- the problem won't be trying to just get to one thing but trying decide once you get there what you want to do. i'm sure it will be hard to do and see everything at the event. what are some of the other attractions? we know as you mentioned tanya, a large part of the festival is about historical and cultural exhibits, particularly those things that relate to the history of african americans of baltimore county. >> so tanya can speak more on the historical perspective of it. >> one thing that's taken place is every year we have mr. lou digs. he's written many books on the history of baltimore county. >> right. >> he provides a bus tour that will take people and show historical spots in the county. he has involved in the past the -- showed the underground railroad. >> wow. >> he has -- he is

he has a wealth of information on our history in the towson community. this year again we will have a bus tour and have a display of the actual history. this history dates back to the 1800s. >> incredible. >> for towson. >> there's also a wellness village, financial empowerment zone; is that correct? >> yeah. a couple of other things we have is the health and wellness village. this year we'll have people coming out talking about different advocates for health issues. we have vendors talking to people referencing kidney, juvenile diabetes. we'll have venture dental doing free dental screenings. >> okay. >> so just going to have a wealth of people for the health event. we're also going to have a kids zone. in this kids zone we'll have the party kid people. they're going to have the rock

climbing. we're going to have face painting, different characters will be walking around. >> before we close up, is there any fee for the festival? >> no. it's free. it's from 10:00 to around 5:00 p.m.. the festival is free. >> one other -- >> we're going to have to let that be the last word. i'm sorry. >> we have the president for umbc out there speaking and the educational village. >> thank you both for coming on. i appreciate it. >> okay. >> if you want to come out to the event don't miss it. baltimore county's 17th annual african american cultural festival. takes place september 21st from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the towson courthouse plaza. call them at 410-466-5755 or go to aaculturalfestival.com.

thanks for watching on wjz

♪ i see a land ♪ with liberty for all ♪ yet still i know ♪ the truth will rise and fall ♪ ♪ oh, yeah-ee-ah ♪ that's just the way it goes ♪ ♪ a word now to the wise ♪ the world was made to change ♪ day is a surprise ♪

♪ i'm lookin' at life through my own eyes ♪ ♪ i'm searchin' for a hero to idolize ♪ ♪ feelin' the pain as innocence dies ♪ ♪ i'm lookin' at life ♪ through my own eyes £♪ y'll take my heart into battle ♪ ♪ give that freedom bell a rattle ♪ ♪ get my independence signed ♪ ♪ declare for it on the dotted line ♪ ♪ let philadelphia freedom ring ♪ ♪ and patriotic voices sing ♪ red, white, and blue, never give up ♪ ♪ you represent america ♪ hopin' and prayin' for a brighter day ♪ ♪ i listen to my heart and i obey ♪ ♪ how can i see it any other way? ♪ ♪ i'm lookin' at life ♪ i'm lookin' at life ♪ with my own eyes

sarah: "dearest mother, "i can scarcely believe the war's been over "for nearly 3 years. "but peace has not come easily for all. "i'm on my way to new york now, "where i will report on the conditions of the loyalists, "those people who remained faithful to england "during the revolution. "to do so, i will renew my acquaintance "with your friend mrs. radcliffe. "she was such a kind hostess to james and me "nearly 10 years ago back in '76. to think how very much has changed since then." [gasps] oh, my!

what's happened to new york city?