Just last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA, ERS) reported that more than 50 million Americans, including more than 17 million children, are food insecure – meaning they lack consistent access to nutritious food. It is a sobering snapshot of the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation.

Florida, along with West Virginia and Alabama, showed the largest increase of people in need. According to the USDA report, more than 457,000 Florida-based households are at risk for hunger every day.

Most of us will enjoy delicious home-cooked food with our families this weekend, but many of our neighbors are in danger of facing empty tables this Thanksgiving. As the PR agency for organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank and Seniors First, the Costa DeVault team has spoken with many families that have never had to rely on charity before. It’s heartbreaking.

Donations to anti-hunger programs are more important than ever during this holiday season. There are just a few days left until Thanksgiving and every dollar donated can help provide several meals to families facing hunger.

Nobody should have an empty plate on Thanksgiving – or ever.

To donate to a local anti-hunger program, visit:

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida — foodbankcentralflorida.org or 407-295-1066.
• Christian HELP: christianhelp.org or 407-834-4022.
• Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando: jfsorlando.org or 407-644-7593.
• Community Food & Outreach: communityfoodoutreach.org or 407-650-0774.
• HOPE Foundation: helpforthehomeless.net or 407-366-3422.
• Seniors First, Inc.: seniorsfirstinc.org or 407-292-0177.

With Thanksgiving bearing down on us, I have been doing a lot of thinking about food. In fact, yesterday’s visit to the grocery will be the first of three this week as we prepare a number of meals that have become a part of our family’s tradition this time of year. In keeping with the theme of this holiday, the Wall Street Journal’s Life & Style section on Saturday included an article from Chef Mario Batali about the future of food, Less Corn, Saner Fishing and Soda on Fridays.

It’s a short article that Chef Batali describes as “the start of a conversation,” but I found the underlying message to be one that I thought about for a couple of days. And I think its author, while certainly humble in describing his concerns as “hardly unique,” is able to deliver a very sober reality in a way that is palatable. He is not a scientist or environmentalist – but rather someone who makes a career out of pleasing others.

Batali’s message is not complicated, like many pretentious recipes. Rather, the chef stresses the importance of moderation, simplicity and common sense when it comes to food – and that the decisions we make about what we consume can be among the most important both for us personally but also culturally. The chef closes with a reminder that too many in our society are forced to make nutritional decisions based on economics and not what’s best for them or their families.

In this profession I have come to appreciate when messages are delivered concisely, in a timely manner and by the right person. Not something I expected from someone that, until Saturday, I associated only with Italian food and orange Crocs.

Recently, Costa DeVault had the opportunity to visit the Orlando Sentinel for a morning news meeting, Q&A session and tour of the newsroom. Thank you to Mark Russell, John Cutter and their team for hosting us and giving us an inside look at the paper’s day-to-day operations.

November marks BRINK magazine’s one year anniversary. To celebrate, Costa DeVault interviewed Kyle Menard, the publication’s founder and editor in chief, to pick his brain about what it’s like to start a print magazine in a recession, as well as BRINK’s mission to share Orlando’s hidden cultural gems.

Costa DeVault: Why did you create BRINK?

Kyle Menard: “I figured that if I was craving something relatable to read and view, then others would be too. I have many different interests and views on aspects of life. BRINK is a magazine for me, for you, women and men, gay or straight, black or white; it’s for anyone with a pulse.

There’s also a lot of untapped talent in Orlando. I wanted to give people who need exposure a platform to show their work. I wanted BRINK to surround their work with bits of pop culture, human interest and a touch of global news that readers might find interesting, insightful or fascinating. People on one side of town might not know about the men’s boots or women’s skull earrings inside Etoile Boutique … or that an innovative website like DaFoodie can save you time deciding what to eat by clicking on an image of what looks delish. People might not know that Orlando has phenomenal artists – like Tobar and Veronika Tuskowski – in our community that create some of the best art works I’ve ever seen. Local blogs, like Johnny Five, introduce some of the newest music and pop culture tidbits in the entertainment world.”

CD: Starting a new print publication in a time where some are failing is a bold move. Why now?

KM: “I didn’t think twice about starting BRINK. I’ve had a love for magazines ever since I was a tiny little human and my mother was dragging me with her to our local newsstand in Cape Cod.

I never intended for BRINK magazine to be online only, but I did intend for it to simultaneously run in print and online. There is no way BRINK could be one without the other – they’re married to each other.”

CD: How does BRINK magazine embrace Web 2.0? Any plans for the future?

KM: “Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr (blog) and online video components are available for our readers as references and tools. I want our readers to have BRINK at their fingertips. Platforms like HP’s MagCloud and Issuu are a publisher’s dream. They give our magazine worldwide distribution.”

CD: What are your favorite types of stories to cover?

KM: “I like to cover any story that gives someone a platform to show their talent or cause, because when that passion comes through in their voice; it’s unstoppable.”

CD: How many people are on BRINK’s staff?

KM: “BRINK has a core group of about 15 people who regularly contribute.”

For more information about BRINK, visit www.brinkmagonline.com.

According to the New York Times, Myspace is getting a much-needed makeover.

In a very smart move, Myspace will no longer try to compete with Facebook but instead will aim to complement the social media giant. The revamped website will focus on music and entertainment for ages 18-34 – another clever tactic, considering that Facebook’s quickest growing demographic is users 35 years and older. Myspace will also incorporate badges, similar to those Foursquare offers.

As part of the website’s new focus, the homepage will feature a live stream (think Twitter) of television-, music- and movie-related comments. This, coupled with virtual badges, sounds a lot like Miso, a website that is relatively unknown when compared to Myspace.

But, Myspace – and Miso, for that matter – are definitely on to something. If you’ve been on Twitter during the primetime television line up, you’ve seen your feed light up with comments and trending topics.

Are you willing to give Myspace a second chance?

During my impressionable college years, I vividly remember sitting in a lecture hall and being shocked by the words that came out of my professor’s mouth: “One day, newspapers will be non-existent.” She went on convincing us that with the multitude of free, online news sources, we eventually wouldn’t want or need to read an actual print edition.

This threw me for a loop. I never imagined that sites like Google News and other customizable news networks may completely dismiss the need for papers altogether. My first concern was: Where are they going to put the coupons? But, my question was soon answered by the rise of Groupon and other daily discount sites.

This week, the Wall Street Journal published an article that highlighted the decline of many highly circulated national newspapers – further evidence that my professor may have been clairvoyant.

To be honest, I typically prefer getting my news online. It’s easier to scan headlines; I don’t have to worry about re-folding the paper correctly; and I don’t get ink on myself. How do you choose to receive the latest headlines?

Photo credit: ShironekoEuro