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CNN 5 Good Things
How about a break — for your ears? At CNN, we know the news can be a lot to take in. So each week, 5 Good Things offers you a respite from the heavy headlines and intense news cycle. Treat yourself to something fun and uplifting every Saturday as we share the bright side of life from all over the globe.
How a Boat Full of Goats Saved an Island
CNN 5 Good Things
Nov 8, 2025
People step up nationwide to help feed their neighbors who rely on SNAP benefits. New research shows why you should go on walks more often. A forbidden book changed this former prisoner's life – now he's on a mission to bring libraries to prisons nationwide. Find out how goats are helping restore a Tennessee island. Plus, the 2025 Hero Dog of the Year was a stray three years ago.
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Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco
Producer: Eryn Mathewson
Showrunner: Faiz Jamil
Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:00
Hey there, welcome. I'm Krista Bo Polanco, and this is CNN 5 Good Things. If you've been uninspired to get your daily steps in, this new research might give you the motivation you need. And a book he wasn't supposed to read while in solitary confinement changed his life.
Reginald Dwayne Betts
00:00:15
Somebody said, what could you do for people incarcerated? What would be a big idea? And I said, there's a million people in prison. I would put a million books in prison.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:24
Now he's on a mission to expand access in prisons nationwide. Plus, why some goats get on a boat in Tennessee, and it's not for the joy ride. And later on...
Faye Okert
00:00:34
Boy, did he prove me wrong. There's something special in that big heart of his, in those eyes, that brings magic to people.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:42
Hear how a stray dog became the hero of the year. When we come back, proof that when systems fail, people still show up for each other.
Morgan Rizzo
00:00:59
Kindness is free, and I know that food is expensive, but when you have more than you need and you're getting your wants, then why don't you let go of some of that and continue to help those in need?
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:11
Grocery buddies, free breakfasts, food drives on front lawns and parking lots. These are all ways neighbors, small businesses, and even celebrities are stepping up to help lighten the burden on nonprofits and food banks. They're helping feed some of the millions of people whose food stamp benefits will be delayed and reduced this month because of the government shutdown.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:31
'Federal data shows nearly 42 million Americans receive food stamps. A federal judge Thursday ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP with contingency funds. Which the Trump administration appealed. However, if the ruling stands or if lawmakers reach a deal to end the longest shutdown in US history, many families will still be playing catch-up and the need won't disappear overnight. In North Texas, CNN affiliate KTVT spoke to Katie Manigold, who started a mini food pantry in front of her house in Richardson.
Katie Manigold
00:02:00
I grabbed any bins that I could find in my house and filled it with anything that I could find at the store that would make a difference.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:08
She's noticed people quietly taking what they need and neighbors pitching in to help restock it. In Portland, Oregon, Heretic Coffee Co. Started offering what they're calling SNAP Breakfasts, including a free breakfast burrito and coffee of choice for those affected. They said they'll keep going until benefits are reinstated or they go broke doing it.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:27
The shop's owner, Josh White, says they've already served the Snap Breakfast to more than 500 people since starting last week. And they've raised over $310,000 and counting to keep it going. Josh says they've gotten so much financial support from all over the world that the coffee shop said on their Instagram page they partnered with a local pizzeria earlier this week to offer a free SNAP lunch too.
Josh White
00:02:50
'These are people who work full-time jobs and still cannot pay their bills. We've had people in line say, this is the first time that I've eaten today.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:59
And it's not just coffee shops or pantries. Thousands across the country have volunteered to be a 'grocery buddy' for their neighbors. And if you want to be one, the pairing is all done either on local Facebook groups, forums, or by word of mouth. Some buddies do the shopping and drop off groceries themselves, while others accompany their buddy and shop together. Another option is to send digital gift cards and let their buddies choose what they need.
Josh White
00:03:23
We've said it before, and I'll say it again. When the system fails us, it is up to one another to take care of one another.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:03:33
A lot of people are trying to get their steps in these days, and for good reasons. New research shows walking is not just good for your heart. Scientists say it's good for you brain too.
Dr. Leah Kroll
00:03:44
What makes this study different, what sets it apart, is that not only did it show this great relationship between physical activity and slowing cognitive decline in people who are at biological risk for Alzheimer's disease, but it did that extra step of tying in what this does with the underlying biology of the disease.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:03
Neurologist Dr. Leah Kroll's talking about a study that was published earlier this week in the journal Nature Medicine. It showed cognitive decline was delayed by an average of three years for people who walked 3,000 steps to 5,000 steps per day, and by seven years in those who walked 5,000 to 7,500 steps per day.
Dr. Leah Kroll
00:04:21
What I tell my patients is that anything is better than nothing. And if you can get to a point where you're doing 150 minutes of moderate kind of brisk walking per week, where you can talk, but you can't really sing, then I'm more than happy with that.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:35
So how does it work? Another neurologist, Dr. Richard Isaacson, put it this way.
Dr. Richard Isaacson
00:04:40
So, there are two proteins, amyloid protein and tau protein, and these bad proteins build up in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's, and this study showed that a person that was active, physically active, the more that they took more steps and stayed active, the bad tau protein that builds up in a person's brain with Alzheimer actually didn't build up as much, and that's really protective and that was really good news.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:02
Dr. Isaacson says that 45% of cases of dementia may be preventable with healthy lifestyle practices, like walking. And both he and Dr. Kroll agree that getting in more steps is just the start.
Dr. Richard Isaacson
00:05:15
If we can mind our vascular risk factors, lower our blood sugar, optimal cholesterol, optimal blood pressure, these are things that can really slam the brakes on cognitive decline.
Dr. Leah Kroll
00:05:24
And then sleep is a big one. That's when the brain really allows itself to clean out these abnormal proteins, healthy diet, maintaining good social connections, doing things that are cognitively challenging. All of these things really add up.
Reginald Dwayne Betts
00:05:40
Somebody said, what could you do for people incarcerated? What would be your big idea? And I said, there's a million people in prison, I would put a million books in prison.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:49
'Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet, lawyer, and the founder and CEO of Freedom Reads, a nonprofit turning that big idea into reality - one prison at a time. He knows firsthand what access to books can do for people behind bars, because when he was in solitary confinement, they weren't allowed.
Reginald Dwayne Betts
00:06:06
When I was 16, I was imagining I would be a college student one day and instead making a brutal, cruel decision to carjack somebody. I got arrested the next day. I plead guilty. I was sentenced to nine years in prison. And when I was in prison, I was under solitary confinement and somebody slid a poetry book into my cell door. And it was "The Black Poets" by Dudley Randall. And that book turned me into a poet, which really became the foundation of who I am today.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:06:35
That smuggled book changed his life. He read and wrote voraciously while he served his time. When he was released from prison at 25, Dwayne spent the next several years doubling down on his education. After getting his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a law degree from Yale Law School, he created Freedom Reads, which installs libraries and prisons across the country. Since 2020, the organization has opened more than 500 libraries in men's and women's prisons across 14 states. In 2021, Dwayne received a MacArthur Genius grant for his nonprofit work. And last week, Missouri became the latest state to add what Dwayn calls Freedom Libraries, built on one simple belief: freedom begins with a book.
Reginald Dwayne Betts
00:07:17
And the Freedom Library is a collection of 500 beautifully curated books. The beautiful, rich, classic cultured type of literature that makes you profoundly think about what it means to be in this world.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:07:29
'The waist-high wooden shelves are handcrafted and gently curved. The shape, he says, is to reflect the quote popularized by Martin Luther King, that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Dwayne says the libraries are as much about conversation and community as they are about reading.
Reginald Dwayne Betts
00:07:46
Books matter because they make us see the world more. And books open all of that up to everybody at a fraction of the cost that it takes to get on the airplane. And who is denied that? People in prison. And why do we want them to have it? Because having access to that, I think, helps you be a better human being.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:10
'If you go out in the middle of the Tennessee River, you'll find Maclellan Island, a 20-acre nature reserve across from downtown Chattanooga. And for decades, it's been overrun by invasive plants. To clear it out, the island's owner, the Chattanoga Audubon Society, tried a controlled burn. But when that didn't work...
Jim Stewart
00:08:27
The fire chief turns to me and he said, get some goats. We had a goat boat go out to the island last June. And since then we've had this ongoing relationship with the goats.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:39
'That suggestion sparked a full-scale restoration effort led by the society's executive director, Jim Stewart.
Jim Stewart
00:08:45
Before we started our work, you could not walk five feet into the woods. So our project is essentially to rewild the island back to the nature sanctuary that would be good for humans and birds and mammals. So we found the best solution is send the goats in first because they can navigate everything.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:09:08
Volunteer Christina Herndon, better known as the Goat Lady, was the nonprofit's caprine connection. Christina, the owner of Circle N Stables, assembled six of McClellan Island's invasive Avengers to do what humans and a fire couldn't.
Christina Herndon
00:09:24
They can eat just about anything and it doesn't bother them. They're little amazing weed eaters. So it takes them about 30 days to clear out roughly an acre of land. They also, what goes in must come out. So they're fertilizing the land too. So it's helping to create natural healthy growth as well. And we're able to go over there and clean some of this stuff out.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:09:47
The goats live on the island for weeks at a time, while Christina and volunteers check on them, maintain and move fencing when needed, and make sure they have food, water, and shelter. Since last summer, Jim says they've made a huge difference.
Jim Stewart
00:10:00
We estimate they've chewed through about five acres on the island. We expect several hundred trees are gonna go in by the end of the winter. If I have my way, they'll be part of a permanent forest management program.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:15
The Chattanooga Audubon Society runs on volunteers and donations, so you can learn more about their work and how you can support them at chattanoogaudubon.org. And if you wanna see some pictures of these cute goats, they're in today's edition, November 8th of the CNN Five Good Things newsletter.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:32
'Shout out to our listener, Regina, who called in and pitched the goats of Maclellan Island story. We love hearing from our peeps, so if you got any positive stories to pitch or wanna tell us what you think of the show, call us and let us know. The number is 404-981-2293.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:48
'Up next -
Faye Okert
00:10:49
And boy, did he prove me wrong. There's something special in that big heart of his, in those eyes, that brings magic to people.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:58
Every dog turned sergeant. Meet the hero dog of the year.
Krista Bo Polanco field recording
00:11:07
Hi. Give her a kiss. Awwww, you are so cute.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:12
Sergeant Bo, a scruffy black and brown mixed breed, has been named the Hero Dog of the Year by the American Humane Society.
Krista Bo Polanco field recording
00:11:19
In 2022, Bo was found wandering the streets of Cocoa Beach, Florida. He was rescued and trained through a program run by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office that gives shelter dogs new purpose by setting them up with inmates who train them. Bo later met with Officer Faye Okert. A longtime school resource officer in Nashville, Tennessee, who dreamed of bringing a therapy dog into the classroom.
Faye Okert
00:11:41
I'd never believed that it would be approved. Honestly, I never saw the police department approving a therapy dog. And that phone call, I think I let out a little scream. It was amazing!
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:51
A week before training began in December of 2022, Officer Fay received her first photo of Bo, and it wasn't exactly love at first sight. She thought people might make fun of a scraggly looking dog.
Faye Okert
00:12:03
Boy, did he prove me wrong. There's something special in that big heart of his, in those eyes, that brings magic to people.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:11
After completing training in December of 2022, Bo became the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department's first therapy dog in schools. And just three months into the job, Sergeant Bo answered the call on one of the city's darkest days, the 2023 Covenant school shooting, where three students and three adults were killed.
Faye Okert
00:12:29
His presence made everybody feel safe. I think the kids stopped thinking about what was going on and were smiling at him and petting him.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:40
Weeks later, when the students returned to class, they couldn't stop talking about Bo.
Faye Okert
00:12:45
Parents were telling me, this is all my child talked about. They didn't talk about what had happened. They talked about a dog named Sergeant Bo.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:54
'Both the four-year-old dog and Officer Faye retired earlier this year, but they still visit Covenant every week and other local schools each month.
Faye Okert
00:13:02
He's a young dog. He's just got a really old soul to him, which is, as a therapy dog, that's what you need. He loves to give kisses. He knows when to lay down. He knows just what you need.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:13:18
All right, that's all for now. Thank you so much for listening, and all the links that we talked about on today's episode are in our show notes. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of CNN One Thing wherever you get your podcasts. They talk about why Tucker Carlson started a MAGA feud. We'll be back next Saturday with a new episode. Take care, until next time.
