REF: “The Love of Money” by Sam Polk, New York Times 1/18/2014
Excerpt
SUMMARY: Sam Polk was making millions on Wall Street when he had a life-changing revelation: he wanted to help those in need. His focus became so-called "food deserts," regions with limited access to healthy food. Polk founded Everytable to serve nutritious meals at minimal prices for low-income populations, but higher prices for customers who can afford them. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): Now, economics correspondent Paul Solman spends a little time with a former hedge fund trader turned social entrepreneur, someone who wants to turn the table on food shortages in inner cities by launching an array of eateries in both high-end and lower-income neighborhoods.
It's part of our series “Making Sen$e”, which airs Thursdays on the “NewsHour”.
PAUL SOLMAN (NewsHour): Sam Polk was formerly a top dog at one of the world's top hedge funds.
SAM POLK, Former Hedge Fund Trader: My dad was this sort of Willy Loman character, this sort of out-of-work salesman that could never make ends meet. So when I was on Wall Street, my entire life's goal was to make more money than the next guy.
DORCIA WHITE-BRAKE, Groceryships Graduate: Just going to pour a little bit of salsa inside. It's like your own little bowl.
MAN: Wow, nice.
PAUL SOLMAN: Dorcia White-Brake is a teacher's aide in Los Angeles. Three kids, no car, the nearest supermarket miles away.
DORCIA WHITE-BRAKE: So I can have, you know, good healthy food that tastes good. I have to take a bus and a train.
SAM POLK: When I was 27, I had been on Wall Street for five or six years and I was at this club in Las Vegas, and it was this super-exclusive club and there was $1,000 bottles of champagne, and beautiful women all around. My life finally looked like I'd always wanted it to look. But I basically felt empty.
DORCIA WHITE-BRAKE: So, basically, I waited six months for this application.
PAUL SOLMAN: Really.
DORCIA WHITE-BRAKE: Yes, and I got it and I turned it in and then it seemed like an eternity. I was waiting and waiting and finally I got a call.
PAUL SOLMAN: Got a call to join the Los Angeles non-profit Groceryships Program, started by Sam Polk.
SAM POLK: I started Groceryships when I came to understand that people are living in food deserts, where there's very little produce for sale and tons and tons of fast food.
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