A Place At The Table

A few evenings ago I had the opportunity to attend a screening of the film, "A Place At The Table", starring Jeff Bridges. It was a very thought provoking and emotional film about hunger in America. I highly recommend it as a way to elicit conversation and discussion about the very real crisis. There are many facts about hunger in the film, elucidated by various experts but the experiences of a number of people (primarily of single mothers!) were what stuck out to me. Much is said about hunger in this country but we do not often stop to think about the individuals who are affected. Numbers and statistics are dry and it is tempting to focus on them rather than people because, as this film points out, people are harder to ignore; they are harder to forget. 

It is impossible for me to forget the little girl who lived in squalor and went to school hungry most days. The devastating effect hunger has on children was most disturbingly demonstrated by her situation. She could not concentrate or focus on school work when her stomach was growling. For me, this situation hit all too close to home. As I watched Rosie, I saw myself as a child. 

When I was in first grade, one of the teachers who knew my father (she had been his teacher as well) took me aside and talked to me about breakfast and then talked to my parents. I was always being sent to the corner because I was tired and couldn't concentrate. I never made the connection between that and not having eaten in the morning. This film became very  personal. I remember my family had government issued canned peanut butter and also cheese. I never paid much attention, I guess I figured everyone had the same. 

Hungry children are nothing new in the country but the epidemic certainly is, at least since the 1960's when president after president issued wars on hunger. The school lunch program and, later, the school breakfast program cut childhood hunger drastically. What changed? Why are 1:6 children in this country suffering from food insecurity? Watch the film and you will find out. 

To discover more about the issue you can visit: http://www.takepart.com/place-at-the-table/film.