Athens, Ga. – A group of University of Georgia students taking a service-learning course worked collaboratively with community members to bring a panel discussion and documentary film focusing on hunger in America to Ciné on May 11 beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The film, “A Place at the Table,” 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.
A reception will begin 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 (nutrition director for the Clarke County School District), 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, a new service-learning course focused on issues of food security as they relate to young people’s experiences in schools. The course was developed by Kathy Thompson, a clinical associate professor, and Jennifer James, an associate professor, both in the department of educational theory and practice in UGA’s College of Education.
Partial funding for this event came from a grant from the UGA Office of Service-Learning.
For more information on the movie, see www.takepart.com/place-at-the-table. The event’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/events/452062751554729/.