A Better World radio show

10/04/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Oct 6th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

"...no fresh food should end up in the landfill while our neighbors go hungry.” - Marisha MacMorran

Asheville, and Western North Carolina is suffering through the worst flooding and devastation it has ever experienced. Even before that, Asheville was also an area where 1 in 4 children are food insecure and 11.1% of working residents live in poverty. Thus Food Connection was born. Since 2014 it has helped bridge the disconnect between caterers with too much food and people who are hungry. With a mission of easing hunger, reducing waste and supporting the local food industry, Food Connection has rescued and delivered over 670,000 meals to Western Carolina people in need, free of charge. Now more than ever, as our communities are pulling together to help one another, Food Connection is coordinating with Manna Foodbank and Feeding the Carolinas to facilitate.
Our guests this week are Flori Pate, Food Connection's founder and Marisha MacMorran, Executive Director.
This episode was recorded last week, before Hurricane Helene hit. Please be safe and look after each other.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

10/04/2024

We are out in Community taking delicious meals to our hard to reach Neighbors. Yesterday we went to Fairview and we were met with a big group of guys in pick up trucks with dirt bikes. They took lots of meals meals with them. They drove their trucks as far as they could drive them. Then they would get on the dirt bikes with the meals to make it as far as they could before they would get on foot to get the Food Connection Mobile Meals to their neighbors who can’t get out. This is Community. This is how we will survive. 💚 you can support our RELIEF MEALS effort at Food-Connection.org

10/03/2024

Our hearts are with the community and everyone affected by Hurricane Helene, as we all recover. We were unable to air last Sunday's show - which is now as important to draw attention to as ever. Food Connection is joining with Manna Foodbank and Feeding the Carolinas to serve our vulnerable and impacted communities at this devastating time. Find out more about their work this Sunday:

Listen in this Sunday, Oct 6th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

"...no fresh food should end up in the landfill while our neighbors go hungry.” - Marisha MacMorran

Asheville, and Western North Carolina is suffering through the worst flooding and devastation it has ever experienced. Even before that, it was also an area where 1 in 4 children are food insecure and 11.1% of working residents live in poverty. Thus Food Connection was born. Since 2014 it has helped bridge the disconnect between caterers with too much food and people who are hungry. With a mission of easing hunger, reducing waste and supporting the local food industry, Food Connection has rescued and delivered over 670,000 meals to Western Carolina people in need, free of charge.
Our guests this week are Flori Pate, Food Connection's founder and Marisha MacMorran, Executive Director.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

10/03/2024

10/03/2024

Please share this with your direct network as we all work together to ensure the safety and well being of our neighbors.

Starting October 1, 2024, we have launched a donations drop-off and distribution site at the WNC Farmers Market (570 Brevard Road, Asheville).

Farmers Market
570 Brevard Road
Asheville, NC 28806
(Parking lot to the left, just past Jesse Israel Nursery)

October 2-5, 2024:
Donation Hours: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Distribution Hours: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Items We Need:
Shelf-stable food (pop-top cans preferred, not requiring a can opener)
Bottled water
Baby and toddler formula and food
Diapers

We are grateful for the overwhelming support, and that also includes financial donations. These funds will directly support our emergency food distribution and recovery efforts. Every contribution makes a crucial impact in helping us meet the urgent needs of those affected. Donate at donate.mannafoodbank.org

10/03/2024

10/03/2024

09/26/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Sept 29th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

"...no fresh food should end up in the landfill while our neighbors go hungry.” - Marisha MacMorran
Asheville, North Carolina is a mountain destination for vacations, conferences, and more. It is also an area where 1 in 4 children are food insecure and 11.1% of working residents live in poverty. You won't see these facts in the magazines promoting Asheville, but it is a harsh reality nonetheless. Thus Food Connection was born. Since 2014 it has helped bridge the disconnect between caterers with too much food and people who are hungry. With a mission of easing hunger, reducing waste and supporting the local food industry, Food Connection has rescued and delivered over 670,000 meals to Western Carolina people in need, free of charge.
Our guests this week are Flori Pate, Food Connection's founder and Marisha MacMorran, Executive Director.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

09/20/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Sept 22nd: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

Peace Now - the longest-standing Israeli movement advocating for peace and reconciliation with the Palestinians and Arab states. Our guest Mauricio Lapchik, Director of External Relations and Development, is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including diplomatic officials, media, NGOs, and other organizations.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

09/20/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Sept 22nd: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

"We must choose now — eternal war and isolation or a political horizon that leads to peace and security." - Peace Now
Peace Now - the longest-standing Israeli movement advocating for peace and reconciliation with the Palestinians and Arab states as a necessary guarantee for Israel’s future security. Through demonstrations, lectures, calls for action, public campaigns, and more, Peace Now works for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel and an end to the occupation. One of its important activities is Settlement Watch, a project that tracks and analyzes Israeli settlements in the West Bank with the aim to prevent such expansion and stop illegal settlement activity.
Our guest Mauricio Lapchik, Director of External Relations and Development, is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including diplomatic officials, media, NGOs, and other organizations.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

09/14/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Sept 15th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

Peacebuilders is part of our September series on People and Organizations Working for Peace and commemorating the September 21st .
Our guests today are Western North Carolina peacebuilders Rachael Bliss and Bob Lackey. Rachel has been nominated for the 2024 NC Peacemaker award. In Asheville, she’s helped organize the International Day of Peace since 2010 and is an active member of WNC Veterans For Peace Chapter 099, Reject Raytheon AVL and WNC4Peace. Bob Lackey is a member of the Asheville Friends Meeting (Quaker) and works on lobbying efforts through the Friends Committee on National Legislation for peacebuilding through cessation of hostilities and diplomacy.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

09/06/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Sept 8th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an international non-governmental organization whose mission is to protect civilians in violent conflicts through unarmed strategies, help build peace with local communities, and advocate for the wider adoption of these approaches to safeguard human life and dignity. Working is such areas as South Sudan, Iraq, Ukraine, the U.S. and elsewhere, Nonviolent Peaceforce envisions a worldwide culture of peace in which conflicts within and between communities and countries are managed through nonviolent means, utilizing principles of nonviolence, non-partisanship, primacy of local actors, and civilian-to-civilian action.
Our guest is Gilda Bettencourt, Outreach & Donor Relations Officer, who has 30 years of study and practice in nonviolence.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

08/16/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Aug 18th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

"We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company
in all the world - the company of those who have known suffering." - Helen Keller

Grief is a universal experience. If we love, we will someday grieve. And we never fully get over the loss of a loved one. The hole within our heart will remain. There is no quick fix to the pain and "the challenging effects of grief can extend far into one's life to varying degrees." But grief doesn't have to be the end of us. We can learn to live again, if we give grieving its due. Join us as we talk with our guests, Pamela Blair and Bradie Hansen, about their book, The Long Grief Journey, a book "designed to educate, support, and coach you to rekindle a desire to live life fully, all while still cherishing and embracing the memories of your loved one."

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

08/10/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Aug 11th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

An Unprecedented Time:
Where is humanity headed? What's really happening in our world? Our guest, Felicity Eliot, editor of Share International Magazine, offers a unique perspective on humanity's problems and a way forward so that all people can enjoy a life based on justice, unity and peace.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com
Image: Sam Saunders from Bristol | Wikimedia Commons

08/10/2024

Listen in this Sunday, Aug 11th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

An Unprecedented Time:
In the midst of social injustice, economic disparity, wars and climate change, people around the world are wondering, Where is humanity headed? What's really happening in our world? These times demand an entirely new approach.
Our guest, Felicity Eliot, editor of Share International Magazine, offers a unique perspective on humanity's problems and a way forward so that all people can enjoy a life based on justice, unity and peace.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com
Image: Sam Saunders from Bristol | Wikimedia Commons

08/03/2024

Listen in this Sunday, July 28th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

Fenceline Watch
The plastic crisis is not a waste management problem. The problem is plastic itself. In Business-as-usual, plastics manufacturers are taking a Do-Nothing approach to plastic production. Yet, plastic production continues to contribute to developmental, neurological, respiratory, hormone, and reproductive harm while sacrificing our freshwater, impairing our waterways and biodiversity. Plastic is a threat to human rights. Fenceline Watch of Houston, an environmental justice organization, is working to hold the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries accountable and protect communities along the petrochemical corridors of the U.S. Gulf Coast from toxic multi-generational harm.
Our guest is Shiv Srivastava, organizer, researcher and Policy Director for Fenceline Watch.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

07/27/2024

Listen in this Sunday, July 28th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

Our guest is Rabbi Dana Sharon, head of the Rabbis Network for Rabbis for Human Rights. She holds an MA degree in contemporary Jewish thought from Schechter Institute and teaches at Hebrew Union College in the Israeli Rabbinic Program and the Year in Israel program. She was ordained by the Israeli Rabbinic Program of the Hebrew Union College.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

07/03/2024

Listen in this Sunday, July 7th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

Helpmate is an organization that has been working with their WNC community since 1978 to eliminate abuse and fear by providing safety, shelter, and support for victims/survivors of intimate partner domestic violence. Our guest is Caitrin Doyle, MSW, Outreach Coordinator for Helpmate.www.helpmateonline.org

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

06/19/2024

Listen in this Sunday, June 23rd: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

Alice Bailey was a mystic, a seeker, and founder of global spiritual organizations. Known by some as the mother of the New Age movement, her life was rife with injustices, myths, and misconceptions. Yet her story is of someone who overcame great adversity to leave a remarkable legacy.
Isobel Blackthorn is author of the biography, Alice A. Bailey: Life and Legacy, and is also an award-winning novelist of mysteries, historical fiction and thrillers. Isobel earned her PhD from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking research on the works of Alice A. Bailey. Isobel is also a campaigner for social justice. In 1999 she founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a privileged state school in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in Ghana, West Africa.
Isobel joins us to talk about the life and legacy of Alice A. Bailey.

And check out more of our archived shows at: abetterworldcommunity.com

A Better World features positive interviews with people and organizations who are making a world of difference. Groups focusing on hunger and poverty, social and economic justice, healthcare, education, housing, the environment or spirituality. Based in Asheville, North Carolina.

06/13/2024

Listen in this Sunday, June 16th: 9AM ET
Streaming at wpvmfm.org

David Edmund Moody on Krishnamurti in America
"An updated, modern perspective on both the man and his teachings." - Craig Walker

J. Krishnamurti was an eminent philosopher, speaker and writer who expressed a radical new understanding of human consciousness, relationships and the human situation. Traveling the world for more than fifty years, until his death in 1986, he pointed out how people could transform themselves and society by becoming unconditionally free through true self knowledge and understanding.
Our guest is David Edmund Moody, PhD, author of Krishnamurti in America, the first Krishnamurti biography telling the story of his life in the U. S. A story of his teachings, the people who were part of his life, and his time in Ojai. "It is a story of love and betrayal, lawsuits and enlightenment, passion and transcendence."