Ep 72 Jeanette Padilla Vega - Founder of the Food Justice Coalition, Activist, Speaker

In this episode of The Gnar Stool podcast, we sit down with Jeanette Padilla Vega, founder of the Food Justice Coalition, to explore the power of food as a tool for change. Jeanette shares her journey in building a nonprofit dedicated to providing nutrient-dense meals to those experiencing food insecurity in Salt Lake City, tackling challenges like transportation barriers and limited access to healthy food.She discusses the Coalition’s innovative programs—including direct outreach, free meal initiatives, and community-driven education—while emphasizing the importance of dignity, respect, and meaningful conversations in addressing homelessness and systemic inequities.Relevant Links:Gnar Stool Podcast X SMMT Tumblerhttps://smmtoutdoor.com/Food Justice Coalitionhttps://www.foodjusticecoalition.org/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/foodjusticecoalition/Get involved and donate - FJChttps://donorbox.org/support-fjcBadass VeganFilm - They’re Trying to Kill Ushttps://switchpointcrc.org/https://www.slc.gov/mayor/2023/12/18/temporary-microshelter-community-opens-in-salt-lake-city/Tiny Home Villagehttps://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/12/31/slc-tiny-home-village-opens-first/Housing Firsthttps://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/Red Card Rights for Immigrantshttps://www.ilrc.org/red-cards-tarjetas-rojas"New Lead Project" - Unconditional Cash Transfers Reduce Homelessnesshttps://www.cnn.com/2020/10/09/americas/direct-giving-homeless-people-vancouver-trnd/index.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/27/canada-study-homelessness-moneyThe Cost of Homelessness https://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Cost-Savings-from-PSH.pdfCenter for American Progress - How the US can end hungerhttps://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-united-states-can-end-hunger-and-food-insecurity-for-millions-of-people/