Service-learning students help bring film, discussion on hunger to Cine May 11
Writer:
Michael Childs, 706-542-5889,
mdchilds@uga.edu
Contact:
Kathy Thompson,
706-224-4830,
kthompso@uga.edu
Published in ESSE, Press Releases, Student News
A group of University of Georgia students taking a service-learning course worked collaboratively with people across the community to bring A Place at the Table, a documentary film focusing on hunger in America, followed by local panel discussion to Cine on Saturday, May 11.
The film investigates incidents of hunger, as experienced by millions of Americans, and proposes solutions to the problem. Filmmakers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush focus on the lives of three people who wage a daily struggle against hunger, and speak with various experts about the possibility of ensuring that every American is well fed. Despite the fact that the nation has the means and resources to feed every hungry mouth, it’s estimated that one in four American children doesn’t get enough to eat. The film asks if we possess the capability to provide these starving children with a nutritious diet but fail to do so, what does that say about us as a society?
The event kicks off with a reception at 6 p.m. with refreshments provided by local restaurants Five & Ten, The National and Farm 255. The screening of the film will begin at 7:30 p.m. A panel discussion will follow. Panelists include Hugh Acheson (chef, author, restaurateur), Paula Farmer (Clarke County School District Nutrition Director), Spencer Frye (Georgia House Representative, District 118), and Erin Barger (Director, Action Ministries and Our Daily Bread Kitchen). Admission is $20, with the proceeds going to the Athens Farmer’s Market’s Double SNAP Program that doubles the “food stamp” benefits of low-income residents at the Athens Farmer’s Market.
The UGA students worked with community residents and businesses on the event as part of a Hunger in Our Schools, anew service-learning course focused on issues of food security as they relate to young people’s experiences in schools that was developed by Kathy Thompson, a clinical associate professor and Jennifer James, an associate professor, both in the UGA College of Education’s department of educational theory and practice.
Partial funding for this event came from a grant from the UGA Office of Service Learning.
For more information on the movie, visit:
www.takepart.com/place-at-the-table
Visit the event’s facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/452062751554729/