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Feeding Atlanta's Hungry; Farmers Team Up to Avoid Middlemen; Moms Addicted to "New Moon"; Charities Get Creative to Serve the Needy; Autistic Boy Gets New Home
Aired November 26, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. 1ST CLASS ROSALBA MARTINEZ, TACOMA, WA: My name is Sergeant First Class Rosalba Martinez from (INAUDIBLE) Stryker, Iraq, and I would like to say happy holidays to Jaylon (ph) and Jordan Arnette (ph) out of Ft. Lewis, Washington. I love you and I miss you a lot and I hope to see you soon. Mommy loves you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, Thanksgiving is not only a day to spend with the family and with friends, to many, it is also a day of service. Here in Atlanta, the Hosea Feed the Hungry organization in its fourth decade of providing Thanksgiving meals to those in need.
Mike Petchenik of CNN affiliate WSB joining me from Turner Field. Mike, good to see you. At this point in the day, how many people would you guess have passed through the lines there?
MIKE PETCHENIK, WSB CORRESPONDENT: I would say several thousand people. We were here about 5:00 o'clock this morning, and they were already lining up, Tony. Take a look over my shoulder. You can see folks are lining up around the corner here at Turner Field. And as you well know, this is a very popular event here in Atlanta.
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
PETCHENIK: They are expecting about 30,000 to 35,000 folks to come out here today. This has really become a one-stop shop for folks. They're coming here for a turkey dinner. They can get a haircut, if they need one. They're also administering the H1N1 vaccine to those who need it, also giving out clothing to those who are looking for clothing perhaps to go on a job interview.
I'm joined now by Elisabeth Omilami. She is the executive director of Hosea Feed the Homeless (SIC). Talk to us about this event and why you put it on every year.
ELISABETH OMILAMI, DIR., HOSEA FEED THE HUNGRY: Well, across the country, four million children will be added to the rolls of families experiencing food scarcity in this coming year. We have experienced a 45 percent increase in people presenting for services at Hosea Feed the Hungry. There is a crisis in this country with the working poor, the newly hungry, the newly homeless, the unemployed and the chronically homeless, and Hosea Feed the Hungry is trying to meet that great, great need here and across the state.
PETCHENIK: And of course, you said about a decade ago, you had to move it here to Turner Field because the need is so great. Talk about what it takes to put on an event like this.
OMILAMI: To do an event like this and to keep the our non-profit communities healthy across the country -- because we are the one that fill in the gap. When the government can cut services, it takes community partners. It takes money. It takes volunteers. It takes an awareness that there's a crisis in this country and our community.
We have much more information at Hoseafeedthehungry.com, but I will say that today feeding these 30,000 people and doing the medical clinic is a step in the right direction, but there is so much more to be done.
PETCHENIK: All right, Elisabeth Omilami with Hosea Feed the Hungry and homeless. Tony, I'll send it back to you.
HARRIS: Yes, Mike, that's tremendous. And tell Elisabeth we appreciate what she does a couple of times a year right here in Atlanta. Tremendous work. Mike, good to see you. Thank you.
President Obama has a holiday message for Americans. One of the main focuses of the day's message, creating more jobs. Here's a portion.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Next week I'll be meeting with owners of large and small businesses, labor leaders and not-for-profit leaders from across the country to talk about the additional steps we can take to help spur job creation. I'll work with Congress to enact those proposals quickly. And it's my fervent hope and my heartfelt expectation that next Thanksgiving, we'll be able to celebrate the fact that many of those who've lost their jobs are back at work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And the Republicans also out with a message this holiday. The message, the president and the Democratic-controlled Congress are ruining everything.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: The American people know we can't borrow and spend and bail our way back to a growing economy. The Obama administration and the Democratic majority in Congress have taken our economy from bad to worse with their failed economic agenda and big government plans. And if all this wasn't enough, Democrats in Washington continue to push for government-run insurance. A government takeover of health care will do nothing to lower the costs of health insurance and will place further burdens on small business owners and working families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Skipping the middle man and selling directly to customers -- that's what some farmers are doing in the Pacific Northwest, changing the way they do business so they can stay in business. Here's Jason Carroll.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, some farmers were having a rough go of it even when the economy was doing well, so a group of farmers in the Pacific Northwest have been taking matters into their own hands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED FLEMING, SHEPHERD'S GRAIN CO-FOUNDER: Hard red spring wheat.
CARROLL (voice-over): Fred Fleming's family has been working this land here in Lincoln County, Washington, for so long, President Grover Cleveland deeded the property to his great-grandfather more than a century ago. Fleming jokes how he used to be addicted to traditional farming, like his forbears, but not anymore.
FLEMING: I'm a recovering conventional farmer. I'm 10 years into my program. My name's Fred.
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: He smiles now, but for years, Fleming worried and wondered why there wasn't a better way to sell his wheat, other than the conventional way, selling it through the commodities market, where prices fluctuate so much, it drives some farmers to bankruptcy. So Fleming stopped doing things the old way.
(on camera): You are doing something different, right, Fred, in that you are marketing directly to those who want your product?
FLEMING: Right. Right. We actually develop a relationship with our customers.
CARROLL (voice-over): Fleming formed Shepherd's Grain, a network of 33 farmers who bypass the commodities market, selling directly to customers.
FLEMING: It's sort of like what Starbucks did with coffee. They put pizzazz to it. What we're doing is we're putting pizzazz to wheat.
CARROLL: Fleming got his friend and fellow farmer, Karl Kupers, to help, together deciding they would set their own prices based on production costs, allowing for more stability, especially in troubled times.
KARL KUPERS, SHEPHERD'S GRAIN CO-FOUNDER: And if you're going to be sustainable, you at least have to cover your cost of production. Agriculture doesn't play in that game, hasn't played in that game, and that's... CARROLL (on camera): You're playing a different game, aren't you.
KUPERS: This is the uniqueness of Shepherd's Grain.
CARROLL (voice-over): It appealed to Mike Kunz. When the recession hit, his farm felt the impact. He joined Shepherd's Grain two years ago.
MIKE KUNZ, SHEPHERD'S GRAIN FARMER: It's a long-term plan that I think has, you know, shown more popularity and it's going to increase in the future.
CARROLL: And that approach has attracted customers across the Pacific Northwest. Arth Bread (ph) says stable prices and a local connection equals more sales. Their customers like seeing a Shepherd's Grain label and tracing products back to their farmers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we started marketing that around the area, sales have just exploded.
CARROLL: Higher sales, and consumers knowing their farmers like they did years ago? Fred Fleming's great-grandfather would be proud.
FLEMING: We've excited my customer base, and they truly are what have our future in their hands. When they buy products from us, then they can truly impact the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, you can see there, Tony, that Fred Fleming gets a little emotional. That's because he cares so much about this. You know, the Shepherd's Grain model is so popular, there's actually a waiting list right now for other farmers to join -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right, Jason, appreciate it. And happy Thanksgiving to you.
You know, there is a new vampire movie sucking them into the theaters. The main audience is teenage girls, but you'll never guess who is competing for those theater seats.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. GREG KIDWELL, CLARKSVILLE, TN: Hello. I'm Colonel Greg Kidwell from (INAUDIBLE) Stryker, Iraq. I want to send a Thanksgiving greeting to my three man-childs, David (ph) Kidwell, just got back from Afghanistan, out of the Army now, Matt Kidwell (ph), (INAUDIBLE) student, and my third man-child, Michael (ph) Kidwell, who is a student at Ross View (ph) High School. God bless you guys. I love you, and I miss you. Happy Thanksgiving.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: And let's get you caught up on our top stories now. President Obama giving special thanks to U.S. service members in his weekly radio and Internet address. The president will, as you know, reveal his new war strategy for Afghanistan Tuesday night, and we invite you to watch it live on CNN.
Blunt words from the head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency. Mohamed elBaradei says efforts to determine if Iran's nuclear program is peaceful are at a dead end because Tehran is not cooperating. He's also criticizing Tehran's failure to accept an international deal on uranium enrichment.
Space shuttle Atlantis preparing to head home tomorrow after an 11-day supply mission to the International Space Station. And now we're hearing they found some pouches of Thanksgiving turkey and candied yams and freeze-dried cornbread stuffing for dinner. Earlier, NASA said they would have to settle for brisket, fajitas. And noodles. I just added the noodles part.
Addicted to "New Moon," and we're not talking just about teens here. Moms and grandmothers are admitting their deep affection for the Twilight vampire series. CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter investigates why.
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KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "New Moon" is breaking box office records, and you'll never guess which fan base is helping to fill those seats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't help myself. You are so mouthwatering!
WYNTER (voice-over): Teens aren't the only ones sinking their teeth into the second installment of the hit Twilight series "New Moon." There's a new, more mature fan base that's also been swept away by the romantic story line of vampires, werewolves and forbidden love.
CHRISTINA FIEDLER, TWILIGHT-ADDICTED MOM: My name is Christina Fiedler and I am a Twilight addict.
WYNTER: Stay-at-home moms like Christina Fielder are coming clean about their addiction to the series of blockbuster films and best-selling books.
FIEDLER: I hate to say it, but I do feel obsessed because...
WYNTER: In between all the housework, the stacks of laundry that continue to pile up in her bedroom, and chasing after her 1-year-old son, Joseph (ph), Fiedler still manages to spend hours each day wrapped up in the romance novels.
FIEDLER: And I was, like, This is ridiculous, Christina. You need to share how embarrassed you are about this and come out of the closet about your obsession for Twilight. WYNTER: So she blogged about it and discovered a whole new on- line community of adult followers.
FIEDLER: So I wrote it for the other moms that are out there like me, that might be hiding that book underneath their bed and reading it when nobody's looking.
WYNTER: This escapism allows moms, even grandmothers, to tap into their sexuality, says clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere.
JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: These women are saying, You know what? We like looking at these young hunks, and what about it? They get to deal with this whole issue of forbidden love.
WYNTER: Gardere says this obsession can actually be healthy.
GARDERE: One woman said that when she was reading one of the Twilight books, she and her husband were having more sex than they ever had before.
WYNTER: "New Moon's" screenwriter says women are also drawn to the fairy tale about young love.
MELISSA ROSENBERG, SCREENWRITER, "NEW MOON": It really brings you back to a certain passion and romance that, you know, as adults we don't have in our lives.
FIEDLER: You want to have a snack?
WYNTER: And for those moms with busy lives, like Christina Fiedler, it's about getting lost in a good read.
FIEDLER: I can let my mind go blank and feel the stress melt.
WYNTER: Melt away in a series of dramatic story lines this "`Twi-mom" hopes will never end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the last time you'll ever see me!
WYNTER (on camera): Fiedler says she's already counting down to the next installment of the Twilight series, "eclipse." She's read the book but can't wait for the movie slated for release next year. Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: This holiday season, a lot of people are facing really difficult times, and charities are finding some creative ways to help. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. JEREMY BECK, CACHE, OK: Howdy. I'm Staff Sergeant Jeremy Beck at Holly (ph) Air Base, Iraq, and I'd like to say howdy to my family, my dad, Linda (ph) back in Cache, Oklahoma. Happy Thanksgiving and other holidays, if I don't make it back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK, special programming this Thanksgiving afternoon on CNN, "Veterans in Focus: Service, Struggle and Success." CNN's Tom Foreman is your host. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm still a musician, but I spend most of my days playing (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But after returning from Iraq, I decided to come out to myself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was in the United States Marines, an artillery cannoneer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's so important to have ships like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was shooting at them, they were shooting at us, and that's all you think about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Our CNN photojournalists turn their cameras on the men and women of the American military, "Veterans in Focus." That's 2:00 Eastern only on CNN. And you can find more details at CNN.com/veterans.
U.S. troops in Afghanistan are celebrating this Thanksgiving holiday. Turkey and ham dinners were served in military ding halls across the country. Helicopter crews delivered dinners to troops in remote outposts. President Obama remembered the troops overseas. He telephoned several men and women in uniform, thanking them for their service and wishing them a happy holiday.
Santa's all tricked out in a new ride. He was giving it a bit of a test run at this morning's Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. Word is Buzz Lightyear tried to hitch a ride, but Santa said, Buzz off! Not true. Sounded good, though. Santa's sleigh wasn't the only -- the only thing that was new for the 83rd edition of the parade. New balloons were introduced, and the parade route was new. It was even a half-mile longer this year.
You know, these are difficult times for many out-of-work Americans. The federal government says 49 million Americans have trouble every month finding enough to eat. Our Jim Acosta has a look at helping those in need.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, you've heard it. Many economists say the recession is ending, but too many Americans are not feeling it down on Main Street this holiday season. So charities, businesses, even government agencies are getting creative to help those in need.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): It's a new sign of the nation's hard times during the holidays. Not the ringing of the Salvation Army bell...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like that.
ACOSTA: ... but the credit card machines that now comes with the kettle.
CAPT. BILL CRISS, SALVATION ARMY: It's one more tool for us to be able to use to help people, men and women and boys and girls, in our community.
ACOSTA: The Salvation Army has 300 of these cashless kettles stationed across the ask country all in an effort to raise more money to meet a growing demand for assistance.
CRISS: Our requests for assistance are up 50 percent over the last year, 50 percent. Our telephones ring off the hook all day long for people needing help with rent and utilities, medical care, things like that.
ACOSTA (on camera): So you can feel this recession?
CRISS: We have -- we feel it and we see it every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This line is just, like -- I haven't seen a line this long ever. It's just mind-blowing.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Coast to coast food banks and other non- profit groups offering turkey giveaways are being flooded with thousands of families waiting in long lines, many hoping to put a Thanksgiving meal on the table after being laid off.
CASSANDRA WOODS, FOOD BANK PATRON: If I don't come here, I don't have food. And I have to pay my rent and my utilities and try to stay out of being homeless.
TOM VILSACK, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: Frankly, this is not just the government's responsibility. I think we all have a responsibility.
ACOSTA: Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack is trying to expand the use of his department's food stamps program, now known as SNAP. He even made a personal appeal to the warehouse discount chain Costco to get on board.
VILSACK: I actually called officials at Costco, asked them to take a look at -- on a pilot project basis, to see how it would work. We were convinced that it would be a good business decision for them.
ACOSTA: A good business decision because shoppers are already hitting the stores. While consumers are expected to cut back this year, Brian Burton (ph) found one credit card machine he just couldn't refuse.
(on camera): Are you going to be cutting back a little bit more this year, would you say, because of the economy and the recession?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Giving to the Salvation Army? No, but for other things, probably.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Forty-nine million Americans are what the Department of Agriculture calls "food insecure" in this country. Those are folks who have to scramble every month to feed themselves. And Secretary Vilsack says part of the problem is that many states simply do a poor job of administering federal aid to the hungry -- Tony.
HARRIS: Jim, appreciate it. Thank you. Happy holidays to you.
You know, home for the holiday has special meaning when you've lost it once.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: An autistic boy who lost everything in a wildfire is spending this Thanksgiving in his new home, his parents giving thanks for the generosity of so many people who heard their son's story. Here's CNN's Kara Finnstrom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN REYES: I am thankful for my house, which is blue and it keeps me safe.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One year ago in this class, Jonathan Reyes wrote a note to give his parents on Thanksgiving.
JAN REYES, MOTHER: When he brought it home, we cried. A lot.
FINNSTROM: Because before they ever read the letter, their entire neighborhood had been ravaged by a wildfire.
AUGUSTINE REYES, FATHER: This is all that's left of my house.
FINNSTROM: Jonathan's father, Augustine, was the first to see the destruction, and the thought of telling Jonathan overwhelmed him.
AUGUSTINE REYES: He's autistic, and he doesn't do well with change, so this is going to be very hard to explain to him.
FINNSTROM: Augustine knew his son thrived on familiarity and routines. Now Jonathan was bewildered and afraid.
AUGUSTINE REYES: That's why I want you to be real careful, OK?
FINNSTROM: Everything he'd loved was gone, from the cherished blanket he clutched to sleep to his fixation, more than 500 Hotwheel cars.
JONATHAN REYES: One of my cars! JAN REYES: I wanted to go and try to find him one of his Hotwheels because he has none.
FINNSTROM: The toll on Jonathan was huge. He cried whenever he heard sirens, refused to eat, and suffered from tantrums at school and night terrors at the family's temporary home.
AUGUSTINE REYES: He'd wake up screaming. Really, the autism kind of overtook him.
FINNSTROM (on camera): But then slowly, over months, the intense therapy started working, and the support of hundreds of people touched by Jonathan's story lifted the family.
(voice-over): Letters arrived from others with autism. A parent who'd lost a son to cancer sent his Hotwheel collection to Jonathan. More Hotwheels came from Mattel headquarters and even from soldiers in Iraq.
JONATHAN REYES: They decided to send me some Hotwheels, and then Mommy and Daddy started to cry.
JAN REYES: They're fighting for us, and they took the time out, a whole troop who saw Jonathan in Iraq.
AUGUSTINE REYES: We saw how people really opened their hearts to us.
FINNSTROM: And now, one year later, a long-awaited return.
AUGUSTINE REYES: Are you ready to go home?
JONATHAN REYES: Yes.
AUGUSTINE REYES: Yes? How long have you been waiting for?
JONATHAN REYES: Every day.
FINNSTROM: The Reyeses have left their apartment.
JONATHAN REYES: Bye!
AUGUSTINE REYES: Bye!
FINNSTROM: One of the first to rebuild in their beloved neighborhood.
AUGUSTINE REYES: Welcome to the new and improved Reyes residence.
FINNSTROM: Jonathan showed us his room.
JONATHAN REYES: Here's some of my Hotwheels (INAUDIBLE)
FINNSTROM: This Thanksgiving, Jonathan drew his new home for his parents. AUGUSTINE REYES: It's sort of just like a -- gosh, like a little bird spreading his wings, basically, all over again.
FINNSTROM: The Reyeses say they couldn't be more grateful.
AUGUSTINE REYES: Looking at Jonathan, he's -- he came back.
FINNSTROM: In Silmar, California, Kara Finnstrom for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: "Cheating Death" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
