Brian Greene
Tell us a little bit about how you became involved with CHILDRENAT RISK.
I’ve been interacting with CHILDREN AT RISK for so long now that I honestly don’t remember how I first became involved. Our two organizations have so many points of mutual interest that we are natural allies in creating a community that values the wellbeing of our most vulnerable population.
What are your community activities or hobbies, Brian?
I spend so much time engaged with hunger relief on local, state and national levels that I cherish time with my family. My wife and I enjoy activities with our two young sons: soccer, playing catch, teaching them to ride their scooters, and going to community events.
What has been your favorite accomplishment in your work to better the lives of children?
About a year after I came to the Houston Food Bank, we started the Backpack Buddy program, which provides a sack of food each week to children in schools identified as chronically hungry. The program began with six schools in 2006 and expanded to serve kids in more than 440 schools last year. We plan to feed even more kids by the end of this school year.
As the holidays approach, how are you and the food bank helping keep children and their families fed?
The Houston Food Bank feeds people all year round through a network of 600 partner hunger relief charities. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, donors generously give us additional money, food and time, which in turn allows us to provide for our partners’ special holiday projects. Actually, summer is the time when demand for food increases, as children lose access to school meals.
When you were a child, what did you dream you would be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a game warden in Kenya. I loved the movie “Born Free.”
What is your favorite part of seeing CHILDREN AT RISK’s mission in action?
I love the research and careful data analysis that CHILDREN AT RISK does, which all who care about our children are then able to use to advocate based on evidence, not just emotion.
What is one reason someone should give their time, effort, and support to children?
Obviously, we have a humanitarian and moral imperative to care for our children. Funds and time spent on child nutrition, education, health care and other essential services are simply an investment in our future.