Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
First Coast Connect

9/14/2016: Miracle On The Hudson; Marisella Veiga; Hunger Action Month

The movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09bIseWdwqg">“Sully”hit theaters last week. It’s the story of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 and its pilot Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, also known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” A passenger on the flight, Donald C. Jones, joined host Melissa Ross on Wednesday to talk about his experience and his thoughts about the film. We also heard from Cuban-American immigrant and author MarisellaVeiga, and Feeding Northeast Florida food bank CEO Luke Laylow told us about Hunger Action Month and the services they provide.  


‘Miracle on the Hudson’
 

It was a sunny but cold day in January of 2009 when a U.S. Airways flight had both engines disabled after striking a flock of geese. Not being able to return to LaGuardia Airport, it was forced to land in the Hudson River. Everyone on board survived. Jones had to hang onto the plane’s wing in the city water to await rescue. He told Ross that Tom Hanks portrayal of “Sully” in the movie was a very accurate representation of the man.       

0000017b-82fc-dd8b-a7fb-82ff4b630000Marisella Veiga

She was only a child when she and her family came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1960. Veiga told Ross they eventually settled in Minnesota, a far different place from what they were used to. In her book she writes about her experiences growing up in a state where only 16 other Cubans lived when they arrived.  

Hunger Action Month  

In northeast Florida, one in six people — and one in four children — face hunger on a daily basis. The Feeding Northeast Florida food bank is part of a nationwide network of organizations striving to end hunger across the country. September is Hunger Action Month. It’s a national campaign that asks people to consider what it would be like to not know where their next meal is coming from. Laylow said the campaign asks people to donate the cost of one lunch to their local food bank.            

           

Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax

Kevin Meerschaert has left WJCT for new pursuits. He was the producer of First Coast Connect until October of 2018.