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Smart Talk: Adapting to a Pandemic holiday brings new reasons to celebrate the season

Volunteers load boxes of food into a car during a Greater Pittsburgh Community Food bank drive-up food distribution in Duquesne, Pa., Monday, Nov. 23, 2020.

 Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

Volunteers load boxes of food into a car during a Greater Pittsburgh Community Food bank drive-up food distribution in Duquesne, Pa., Monday, Nov. 23, 2020.

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Airdate: 12/22/20

The 2020 Holiday season will be unlike any other before, with more families and individuals experiencing food insecurity.

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank points out that because hunger doesn’t take a holiday, neither will they. Since the pandemic began, the Food Bank has seen a more than 40 percent increase in food distribution over the same time last year. Of the people they support, one-third are children.

While most companies are cancelling holiday office parties to ensure employee safety, some organizations and individuals are devising other ways to help their community.

Appearing on Smart Talk Tuesday to share how some are finding ways to spread cheer are Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Blake Lynch, Community Policing Liaison with the Harrisburg Bureau of Police and Christopher Markley, Corporate Communications Executive with Penn National Insurance.

Major league baseball recognition and reorganization

One hundred years ago a league structure was formed to bring organization to the many black baseball teams playing in  the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. The Negro leagues maintained a high level of professional skill and became centerpieces for economic development, and pride, in many black communities. The last Negro League teams folded in the early 1960’s, as black players were recruited into major league baseball.

Last week, MLB completed the full integration of these players by reclassifying the Negro baseball league as a major league. Ted Knorr is a local Baseball historian and he’ll appear on Smart Talk to discuss what these changes mean to the sport. Also, Smart Talk is  joined by Andrew Linker, an author and longtime sports writer to talk about recent cuts of Minor league programs around the country.

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