Poverty remains a significant problem plaguing our nation despite Herculean work being done by nonprofits and billions of dollars spent by the public sector to address the issue. We blame poverty on the poor rather than recognize that many Americans are born into circumstances where the American dream is virtually inaccessible. In this talk, Kristen Miale challenges us to see the core of the problem: we are so focused on basic needs and individual accountability that we ignore other factors and social structures that contribute to a person’s ability to break the cycle of poverty.

In her role as president of the Good Shepherd Food Bank, Kristen Miale has helped Maine’s largest hunger relief organization provide over 23 million pounds of food to those in need. Before joining the food bank in 2010, she was founder and program director of Cooking Matters for Maine, a local chapter of Share Our Strength’s nationally recognized cooking and nutrition education program.

Kristen’s passion for ending hunger has driven her to serve on the steering committee of the Maine Food Strategy and as Senate President Michael Thibodeau’s representative on the Commission to End Student Hunger. Kristen resides in Kennebunk with her husband and two children.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx