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Episode 86 – Ordinary Heroes: Paul Pachter on Fighting Hunger & Carrying Harry Chapin’s Legacy

In this inspiring episode, Bernie Furshpan sits down with Paul Pachter, President & CEO of Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank. From their shared Brooklyn roots and memories of Jan’s legendary “Kitchen Sink” sundae to the sobering reality that 280,000 Long Islanders—including 55,000 children—are food-insecure, Paul traces how rock-icon-turned-activist Harry Chapin transformed a regional crisis into a movement for dignity and self-sufficiency.

Key moments you’ll hear:

• Hunger vs. food insecurity – why language shapes solutions.
• The story behind Chapin’s 1980 founding of Long Island Cares and its growth to nine locations distributing 16 million pounds of food annually.
• Innovative programs—from Baxter’s Pet Pantry for family pets to a Center for Community Engagement—that redefine what a food bank can be.
• How corporate partners and 2,500+ volunteers turn compassion into $10 million of yearly impact.
• Why today’s economic pressures keep demand rising—and how you can help.
• Paul’s personal mission to keep Harry Chapin’s humanitarian flame alive, plus a shared call with HMTC to fight antisemitism and online hate.

Whether you’re passionate about social justice, volunteerism, or simply love a good Brooklyn nostalgia trip, this conversation proves that ordinary people can tackle extraordinary challenges—and that every can, dollar, or hour donated makes a hero’s difference. Tune in, be inspired, and find out how to join the fight against hunger right in your own backyard.