Errol Daniel and Thomas Ferraro

00:03 Tom Ferraro 62 years old July 6th 2009 Rochester New York, and I'm with my friend Darryl Daniel.

00:17 My Name is Earl Daniel, I am 66 years old Going on 30

00:24 Today's date is the 6th of July 2009.

00:28 Location of Justin New York, and I'm here with my good friend talk.

00:49 Who's been the biggest influence on your life will have to see my mom.

00:56 Cause I like things that you talk music kids, you know, I still remember 60 and basically has already tried to live my life going to what you taught me.

01:08 Do should still have a relationship you want to talk a little bit about that my mom relationship, you know, you nothing but big man being a big man for quite a long while but she always thinks I'm a kid and she still tries to treat me like a kid when that one. That was at that I spoke with her on the phone.

01:31 About New Year's for sale around New Year's could have been with Christmas Christmas. I think it was when you go over to the house. She she's disappointed that you haven't been down to fear. Well,

01:48 It's not that I haven't been down. I see you every night I go to sleep when I close my eyes. I can see you. I'm so I know but I will be there soon.

01:59 So if she was in Trinidad I go with you.

02:02 But I'm not sure I just want to go to Florida, 22 Central Florida where we can send it. And then go see you again. That's nice.

02:14 What do you think that that bad influence? What what do you think? How did it frame how you kind of act to most of the things that go on in life? Well one thing that I remember my mother saying was that

02:30 Whatever you do will come back.

02:34 Sooner or later in life, reciprocity. If you do good good look for you if you do bed better for you and always remember you saying one thing to me which is good and evil live in the same house since your top of my head knocked in the head and said good and evil lives in the same house. And basically I

02:55 I never feed it up because it's like I couldn't it didn't even live in my head.

03:00 But it took me to be older and have kids to realize that.

03:06 Good and evil does living side of your head and it's up to you to make the adjustment to do good instead of doing evil.

03:15 So fine line, it's it's the opposite of the opposite side of the coin kind of thing because you're just going to need Busy Phillips you if you were taught to do good and you know what he lives in you wouldn't attempt to do anything desk bed.

03:36 How do you think people are?

03:39 The way things are going now. We're for young kids to shoot people for sport. Almost is there as they're not even good chance of Goodwin and out. Well, I think what it is the kiss of sort of gotten into

03:55 I'm owed that what happened to do it to do what it wants to do and girls have Roman riding. That's very good and evil comes in if they realized it.

04:06 If you keep your life and you do good with your life and then you could things happen. And if you do bad things with your life then bad things happen. So you just have to accept what you get for What YouTube evidently not nothing's laying a glove on him because it's not it's not unique to Evangelical Christians. Who are you smart or what you reap what you sow or the idea that what goes around comes around reciprocity or the idea that the all of the kind of penance of of other religions if I guess if you have no absolutely no to exposure to any of that you don't

04:48 It doesn't matter anymore what I think and come and Compasses all three of them treating. She said because

04:56 I think it looks just like this being super what if you do with life is to live it.

05:02 Life is simple. It's not Tito's not rocket science live your life. And if you live your life than you what you put in your eyes when you get out of it and with the kids, you know, it's like

05:14 Just seem to have grown into pad that leads to destruction really happened to respect us going out up to sort of going out of their everyday life and I do believe your kids respect if your topic should be taught respect from small if you keep on respecting each other then a lot of things going to happen. No, one of the things we have in common is that both having second families and not at the same time, but with this gap of 30 years in between, how much do you know? This is being different this time around I think every generation is different and when I was younger, I spend some time at home with my kids, but not as much as I do with these you and

06:04 How are the kids doing dog to be pretty decent and these young ones but I think is regeneration. It's a whole maybe cause I'm getting older too and I can't run them or get them as fast as I would like to but

06:20 These kids these days there. It's a different planet totally different to the way. I was brought up to it. Listen to I raise my personal kids and this last because I have dear.

06:34 Totally different

06:37 And Lisa News 10 year old twin boys are about to going to be the end of me this time around.

06:44 Well, I have a 12 year old 10 year old and a 7 year old.

06:52 And I'm going to outlive them.

06:57 Good for you. I I hope I can manage to I would just like the outlived my older one the

07:09 What the what are you proudest of?

07:12 Well, I

07:15 I think I'm proudest of the way I Saw the Light.

07:20 Keep my kids of this lots of kids doing things. I have to go to buy that I put Stevia in the end and then I kind of like met you and started food Lincoln. I learned a lot.

07:34 I live in and you know that you have to really look out for your fellow man. And no matter what it takes. You know that you look up your fellow man. And you got a lot of in a pleasure. I'm doing that I do for at least.

07:51 What's your first memory of me?

07:57 What I remember meeting you through another friend of ours guildmaster and jelly.

08:03 And I did some work for you at a time.

08:09 And don't know if it started at my house on chili or if it was around chili. If it was the the when we converted the officer said that West Avenue K and if it was, you know, you seem to be a standoffish guys only when I got to know you realize that you were very much approaching.

08:35 I'm just a sensitive guy.

08:38 What the

08:40 What's the future hold?

08:42 Well, I'm retired now at least you know, you worked the last on some energy out of me.

08:52 But I basically just trying to live to be a hundred.

08:57 I'm I'm really I'm envious that you could could have a goal like that fits. So I just hope to get to I keep adding up. How old are the kids and how old will they be? And I just want a like a me. My only goal is to try and get so that their independent financially relatively financially independent before I cash it in. Well, you know, I look at if I dug my mother's 85

09:26 One of my great-grandmothers live to be a hundred fourteen. So when I turned 50 I said, you know something this is the first half of my life. I will make a hundred and I'm shooting for that.

09:38 What what do you notice is we we just got a giggle out of our memories, but the what the what else do you notice from aging?

09:50 Can you play basketball anymore?

09:54 Could you ever play basketball? Yeah, you say she was pretty good. And I hate you look at a basketball court. No because I can't do it. I just can't run anymore. But I think I live my life pretty easy. I did not abuse myself too much.

10:12 So I think right now I'm sort of like

10:16 Gwenmarie soaps and I have a lot of yourselves another 40 years would have ourselves. At least. I I relate to the not being able to do what we I ended up coaching Little League this year out of out of justice essity and in the neighborhood that we live in and and I rather than have my knee replacement that I had scheduled I had to cancel that than I and I tried to play and not play but just even participate play catch with the kids be able to warm the kids up do things and I'm so oh my knee is just so gone that it's just you're just an accident. I'm an accident waiting to happen. So that's been has been really awkward when you were cuz there was a few things I could do and then one of them was play baseball and I really can't anymore fake. It's even hard to play catch cuz if you got a good move too quick and been too quick. Love Has Gone.

11:16 My niece if you so desire. Very best, but at least you know, they're better than yours.

11:22 The

11:26 What the weather are new activities you saw some of the stuff going on the worms in the compost and then the vermiculture and then those kinds of things.

11:43 Even though you're retired or are those things that you find interesting and you would want to come back to work with if you were okay to be able to do that. I wouldn't mind it because you know, you know, I enjoy food like I enjoy being gear.

11:58 If you diffuse I spend your what was fun. At least I did something at least I try to accomplish something so I can say one of the compass friends in my life was so helpful and grow.

12:11 Hasn't grown up as full as it could but we'll

12:16 Keep on growing as long as you do people keep on going and that's that was a good idea. You know, your new guy has his uses hit the maybe that's what we'll do. We'll search up in the house out in the farm.

12:36 Remember, I have no knees I have no ankles and my hands, you know, I can always tell someone what to do.

12:45 The Hydroponics is pretty cool though.

12:52 When a little bit about doing you're doing your Contracting when when you were in between Delco and the foodlink, I used to work for Jim once upon a time that I left you and then I was like her.

13:12 1012 Via La where I basically just wing it.

13:17 And then

13:19 Call myself being a painting contractor. In fact, it was so good to earn the nickname Rembrandt.

13:29 Then I met you and you saw the lights set to me while I roll. Why don't you come and do some of the same things at foodlink?

13:39 And I think that was a good decision.

13:42 Cuz I mean out of the system for so long that I finally was able to get back into the system and not doing at a time, but I never realized that you know, my knees will shutter rules come down with this a try to stop it. Basically help me because give me some more.

14:01 Oh she charge under my belt was right after and during the rabbits doing a security pro.

14:09 But I think going to come into pulling at least I was able to accomplish something deer and

14:15 I liked what I did what I had to do and I like what I did and I think every time I come in the I still see some of what I would have done so

14:24 Linkin Park fooling is in me. You might be the saddest to see us move from where we're at to the Pepsi when I was just that you know, and as long as you're moving to do something better place to big face then it's all going good. At least I can say I left my legacy at Exchange Street.

14:48 Arrow we start negotiating with the developers so that

14:53 See how much money we're going to get out of that to where they don't care how well the outside of the building was painted Unfortunately. They just want to knock him down.

15:02 The

15:09 You have any regrets about?

15:12 I don't want to live my life. You know, I basically know everything I do. I just want to know what I'm going to do.

15:22 So my regressive many because

15:27 My Philosophy is simple if you're going to do something today that you're going to regret doing it do it. So then you have a night to regret

15:36 But one thing that I so regret is that affected my father and I he died when I was young 18 and we had a falling out when I was 17.

15:48 I never got a chance to tell him look, you know, it wasn't personal. It was just

15:53 One of these things, you know, but other than that, I'm pretty

15:57 Set that much regrets in life.

16:01 Same thing that happens in my my wife Regine was her and her dad fell out then her dad died. And then she she came here to came to the states to come to the school.

16:15 When

16:20 How about a favorite story?

16:25 Wow, you're quite a few.

16:29 But I think one of the somebody that has left.

16:37 Smiling my head is right beside the kitchen and do we have a new and we had a interview or Cornell had to do something with us in

16:51 We basically wind it and we did pretty good.

16:57 I was a chef at my shift had my shifts jacket was cooking a meal West Indian Business Association.

17:05 And to be with you were pretty well and be it was not just wing it. I called her the other day. I left a message. She didn't answer her phone the woman at the at Cornell and then tell her what I wanted I said it was too too detailed just to call me back. So I don't know if she's on vacation cuz I've seen her husband off and on over there and and I know where I'm good terms. So so I'm assuming that she's just on vacation as to why you haven't gotten paranoid yet as to why she didn't call me back. But the reason I will but at this point, I'm I'm I'm okay with it summer. She could be she could be doing something else. Are you going to cut your dick desperately desperately. That's the motivation is to get a copy of that than our hands go. So, you know Bethany when Bethany was back a couple years ago.

18:05 She designed that red thing that those panned out things that we use right now and somehow she got on to that that story of having seen that tape and she told the but she just watched it once with she didn't see it right away, but she just I think that the people that actually and I actually go to Canada to see Deb not this weekend next weekend, but just hearing Bethany even just talk about that with tears in her eyes, and she only watched it. I mean I forget who was with us then they sent through that.

18:44 All right. You know Jamie or was it roisin or was it made my day. Jean? I don't think everyone's cheer you up. But you know you were so good bringing it that I made you an honorary Trinidadian. That's High Praise.

19:00 Can't get any higher.

19:03 I know it makes it. You know, I just from watching people walk around the corner.

19:09 Locate the tailor I can cut you I can color I can cut you a suit just watching your head around that. You ain't got to see the man just passed his shadow suits for Shakespeare Macbeth, right?

19:32 Hardly any

19:37 I'm

19:41 I'm running out of questions, I think.

19:45 Can you just talk a little bit about food? Like I don't know where one of 206 food banks around the country that currently is connected with feeding America in the

20:04 The round the country again, we cover every County in every state of among the 206 of us and we were one of the first one of these 20 original areas of the country that the formed then Second Harvest which became America's Second Harvest then and now is called feeding America and most there's probably 6 to 10 of us that are quite different than that. We not only do we rescue food and this year it was we we brought in over 11 close to 12 million pounds of food and gave out nine and a half million pounds of food to some 500 charities in the 10 counties in central western New York that we serve.

20:48 But we've somewhere along the line we realized that hunger was the symptom and not the problem and we began to try and do to try and impact more on the systemic problem of poverty and a lack of income to try and work from that direction to try and and impact on hunger and poverty greater So to that end we've done a couple of things one is we have a farm. We actually Farm 12 acres of land as well as have two acres under Polly that we have hydroponic Greenhouse in so we raise our own vegetables and we get those vegetables not only to the feedback Food Bank program to give out to people in need and in our communities, but we also Supply our kids Cafe programs. We do some 2,500 meals a day mostly after school.

21:47 For kids that are robbed.

21:50 Are living on the margins are their parents are living on the margins and they're at risk and they're these aren't soup kitchens for kids. These are embellishments for kids who are already getting tutored are getting Mentor door having the very least Recreation opportunities after school where we will get this food that is more ethnically appropriate more culturally sensitive saw and certainly more nutritious to kids trying to

22:21 Give them an opportunity to experience how food tastes when it's fresh how different foods taste currently. We bought up a bunch of fresh strawberries and we're doing smoothies with strawberries when Peaches become ripen and season will start doing peach smoothies for the kids. We also do that. We are greens are in some 10 markets around our community as well as our catering for the the kids Cafe program. We at night well or on weekends will do all the festivals in one of the things that's so big in our Rochester area during the summer is festivals soon cornhile, which is the biggest is coming up.

23:09 We already had the Lilac Festival into the jazz festival and then they'll be the Park Avenue Festival in Fairport canal days and so on and so forth where we show up with our kitchen truck as well as our other stuff that we need to be able to do grass-fed beef burgers cheeseburgers with local cheese the smoothies in our green sand and the one of our greenhouses is devoted completely to English cucumbers, which then we pickle and give out his side's the people so if the way to draw attention to not only to ourselves as food linked to try and and raise money from people who pull then see us and kind of associate us with doing our charitable work, but we also try and do we actually are an LLC and we pay taxes on our farm on property taxes and we pay taxes on the money we make but that money then is given to the

24:09 Ready to try and do our good works and take some of the Hills and Valleys out of the funding stream that almost any nonprofit is subjected to where we can take care of ourselves. The example were trying to to the site has to be more self-sufficient sand and take care of ourselves and using all of our assets to create wealth for other people. So the realization that hunger was a symptom we have millions and millions of dollars worth of food related assets. We have football field size freezers and coolers. We have some 1012 trucks refrigerated tractor trailers 26ft straight bed trucks 14 16 foot Mitsubishi all refrigerator that we when we delivered to our 10 counties and come home empty. We now might stop at a farmers Farm.

25:09 Pick up their product get it delivered to Wegmans or get it to some of our Associates like red jacket Orchards that drives into New York City every night with their with their local fresh juice and get other people's product into markets where Farmers begin to make dollars on the pounds in a fresh market economy instead of making dollars on the ton and a global commodity marketing and we really believe that get the proper stewardship of having these millions of dollars worth of food related assets has to try and use them to create wealth to impact on the real problem as opposed to using those assets 5 days a week 8 hours a day and adjust impact on a lot a symptom and then and then on Saturday they do nothing. We've we're not on normal food bank in that regard, but we're we're truly

26:03 People are beginning to catch on to what we're doing and then we're starting to really be noticed and identified as a being on a successful track. So that was a hell give a long-winded for me. But did you envision fooling being what it is today? When you avoid when you first started of course not. I said, why did I ever get up that day to go pick up those muffins when I should stay in bed at 4 in the morning, but but you know having done this type of work my whole life my whole adult life from when I started at joining the war on poverty stuff office of Economic Opportunity.

26:49 The door I'm

26:52 It's frustrating that after 40 years. I don't know almost 40 years 38 having not really made a real impact. I mean people say G. You've done a great job. You've done this you've done that and a personal level that's true and I accept that but on a broader on a much broader level 2 hell's changed what's different what's better for people and if we know if they didn't eat because we weren't doing what we were doing. Somebody else be doing it. So that's a no that's not the the part that you feel good about or that you can sort of a Baskin the the glory of making your bones on people's misery. Essentially. We're like to sometimes you know, or you go to bed thinking about who is eating to do and who she is more than what they have to eat, you know, because once a king always went I said with you

27:45 You love to feed people at least the old saying you know that you give them a official teaching how to fish.

27:56 And that's something I've always used in treat me with your treat 37u00b0 was meal $3.37 yoonkook.

28:07 Wish I didn't believe it but I see dollar $47.40 that you can do it, you know, so.

28:15 You had a vision and at least your vision came true.

28:19 You know, like I said, it's been a lot of years. I've known you for maybe about 1920s.

28:26 So it's been a lot of years.

28:28 And you know

28:31 We used to really freak people out when you say I was your associate Direction weeden's.

28:38 And then there comes GNC is that your sister can really said he's waiting for me to die.

28:45 But you know after all these years you haven't died yet. So I just give up I don't want to switch Direction with anymore. So he retired retired you have.

28:53 I figured I had to wait too long because I have to wait until your son took over the business then you've been down and got too much as I can. Wait for the first one. Then you get two more. I can't wait that long.

29:04 So I know you have done a good job and you know, it might be nice to go over the trucks. Everybody act you sexy but you know tone for our return for us.

29:18 So I think you've done a good job.

29:21 And

29:23 I really think that knowing you you said besides for the mountains.

29:28 But I think you up cuz I don't like going over the mountain and low, you know, yep. You got your head stuck in the clouds now.

29:35 Yeah, the new crew is just about burnt out though.

29:41 Sarah has been a rough these 10 markets in events every night to that jazz festival was just that was the straw that broke the camel's back. It's one thing doing festivals every weekend, but to be busy every night then then we did the I think one day there was four places where we were cooking food, and there was three places that we were selling food at markets.

30:07 So yeah, it sucks. I might have been off a little bit more than I could be able to look at it. You distribute know if I was still active and can run a wrong.

30:17 You can you know what make me tired doing just see it will be tell him I said, you know what that's like if they saw you in action. They would they would understand that the becoming whiners yourself.

30:36 And when you do the same for someone else and you can see what you're doing, then it's a joy to do it this way to sell anybody. You don't hurry up. You're going to have to give me credit for you taught me how to beg.

30:49 You know I'm begging is not what my meal in the bag.

30:55 We will have to get a lot of stuff. I feel like you know how to talk to you like Kodak and all these other companies came in for dip Karen and basically I would beg and they'll give me what I want. So you taught me all day. I have to give you that much credit. There's a very wealthy family that though the mo on them is that they the guy likes to likes to have you be to be courted mean he likes to be pursued to get to FM. Have you asked them for money. So I've never liked been really trying to get their money into that fits significant money that they sent a nice and the normal. Thank you letter so couple not even maybe a couple weeks ago. They send in a patient in a five-figure donation and I and I send you don't always do a handwritten know what I do a handwritten note to they had to stop me from doing though like the $5 ones, you know, but the

31:55 They first make a year late by the time I would get them, but the

32:00 I sent Becca handwritten note, but it wasn't anything spectacularly. No, hope today. They just they give me the folder on my way out and I really need to do a pretty quick and you should call a couple of these people.

32:17 I say yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so I looked inside and here's this guy again with another five figure gift to we clear.

32:25 I figure either he's going mashugana and you start to lose it or

32:31 In fact of it is always trying to get my attention and I went back and told Francis and so she calls Maria and said Is it true that someone saw something another Andrea says he gets to Indiana wind in two weeks. So the princesses, you know, you really should do something. I said, no, I'm tempted to like just see if just this this this keeps how long this can keep off of Just $0.30 pie features.

33:06 To beg, you know what changes back, you know, I think I can maybe get six fingers cuz we need six figures as I said we because I still thinking about a food link my kids the old fool like, you know,

33:22 I guess you have lived around you so much and I swipe my dis someone else have to thank you for

33:30 Back in the days when my second set of kids were young really came in handy with milk that you know, the Enfamil letters going up to believe million dollars you can now, you know, so maybe that's why it is so freaking strong Arena Contraband shaper. You guys really help you if I can remember Regina your wife would like to listen to I know you're tired take the day off give me the kids and she take my two kids and take them. So at the time for June 4th at 2 because like I said, you know, you know what I went through and I made it in their own practice, She was in training for kids.

34:21 And maybe that's why she decided Tom we need a couple.

34:26 If you're not heard the story.

34:30 But after 10 years that must have been the night that we decided that it was okay. We didn't have kids number one.

34:38 Number to thank God Rosa was only praying twice a day cuz if she would have gotten a lunchtime prayer in there be triplets sitting out there right now and I think I might be in this River next next to us about the so it's a whole different thing was so much easier if you wanted was I only had one the first time so one that was that was a lot easier but it is so much different and interesting to hear your parents say and then you start saying these things and then you have your own kids and you start saying thing but this opportunity to do it all over again like a redo. It's almost really can do it better to do in this age of information. Now, there's so it is the world moves so quick and there so many inputs and the kids pick up on stuff so quick it's hard to it's sort of hard to keep your grip in a way and I don't I don't not a fanatic that you know wants to be a not fair that you know, well

35:36 Just stay on the fuck Tyrion figure to to my kids or anything like that. But the idea that you try and and shelter them from some things and some things may I remember when we

35:55 Free four months old and we were going to do we're going to Europe in the spring. So we went to Orlando for a conference just to practice traveling with them and of the

36:10 When I forget where I was going to go with that, but the way that we took those dry run to just to be able to go see how it would work and forget where I was going with that but it was it was nothing compared to train a travel internationally with kids and end now that the after 9/11 trying to Travel Inn in having a baby. So you got a banana packed in the bag for the kids. So damn the fee to get into your ear all your baggage when you get back in the states and the the little beagles come out and the beagles smell something. He don't know what he's smelling but it's just enough to like miss your flight, you know now after you and you're taking her a bargain-basement flight, so you're flying from Paris to Detroit. We already went past Rochester. Now, you have to have this little dog come out and sniff something and get like a not because he smells something so they like pull your bags to like search all your bags.

37:10 And then you miss your flight and and then this is old people trying to do this, you know, so it's

37:20 It's a it's a 10. I have a I think you've at least you know, what you found the radio. There's the youngest brother Tony Infantino change back Infantino his his older brother is my my good friend, but his middle brother is in Boston and he's a run to the big International Shoe Company Clarks shoes on a bread and that they bought the now they're bostonians and all of us, but he had that he had twins that are Victor 6 and it's likely he sent. You know, we have this common Bond cuz we grew up together. We know each other we both are later in life. He's got twins.

37:58 You don't have plans today. I have twins went when you make that much money. And you have people living in your house people taking care of your kids all the time. It's not it's not anywhere near the same up the experience that we're getting out of this and I'm not saying it's not that you know, it's not valid in this off on that stressful on but it's not quite the same. You know, I don't get him a kiss for every single time. I let it accumulate and then I recommend them Universal Expedition Ford engine for last week and the week before. Yeah, but I've been style sounding like a mother.

38:38 And and maybe that's way we're under a new story is that it all goes full circle and we all become our parents ever because you know, why every time I call my mom and tell her how bad my kids as she just laughs and laughs and laughs and says finally came back. That's why I'm saying whatever you do comes back to get you in the end, All My Life's a Circle

39:04 Earbuds

39:07 Basically, you did want to enjoy that and that's mystic make in the refrigerator service old.

39:14 Senior I never used to it's only it's only the last little bit of time that you know, I almost see it the 6262 and a half wide that was becoming the retired you understand football. So you'll get this it's like yeah, I can be shifted the free safety now. I've lost a step in my head can like make up for it. But you're still resent that you can't play at the level. You know what I mean? You said that you used to it even though you're still part of the team. You still might Excel you still might make all pro team. The only man you still might have a decent contract can run but you can't run as fast then you can't do some of the things that you used to do. So you resent that to Charlie's light. That's called becoming a senior.

39:56 You don't have a knife that stays there when I was younger. I used to used wood old, you know with impunity, but as I got older I realized I really don't like anybody call me old cuz I know is you know, if my forties I'm going to play basketball and a seventeen-year-old see come on your old man or boy ever light a fire front of me at 4045 a seventeen-year-old could not beat me in basketball know if I have none of my son's ever beat nit. Basketball Noah play checkers, and I don't let him beat me to take his idea because I figured could be getting one thing. You wanted me to get everything else.

40:39 So I try to beat them everything I do I'm still competitive even though it's only in my head.