I recently facilitated a screening and discussion of the documentary, “A Place at the Table,” with students and faculty from High Point University (HPU). Students at HPU are required to take 25 hours of service learning courses in an effort to promote civic leadership. They are also required to partner with local non-profit agencies like ours to better their community. As one student succinctly put it, “Many of us felt a connection to the film, and learned just how wide the gap is between the amount of resources at the university and the lack thereof in the surrounding area.”

Not far from HPU are Montlieu Elementary and Parkview Elementary 2 of the 7 schools we serve in High Point. Over 90% of these students qualify for free or reduced school lunches. Most students are at or below poverty level and struggle daily with getting enough to eat. That is one of the reasons why we hosted the screening at HPU and invited students and members of the community to watch the film and participate in a discussion about hunger.

It’s impossible to sum up every problem brought up by the film. If you haven’t seen this film yet I encourage you to look for it on Netflix or find a screening in your area. BackPack Beginnings will have more opportunities for you to view the film, “A Place at the Table” in the upcoming year. This problem is bigger than any one charity can tackle. Here’s why:

  • 1 in 6 Americans–50 million–is food insecure (meaning they don’t always have the resources to buy the food they need.) 
  • 1 in 4 American children–17 million–is food insecure (2010).
  • 85% of those families that are food insecure have at least one working adult it the household 
  • 44 million Americans are on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), what we used to call food stamps.

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This month we need your help to end child hunger in Guilford County. Please join our Give Back Pack Lunch campaign next week, Sept. 21-27. Consider skipping one meal in a restaurant to help feed a hungry child in Guilford County. It only takes $5 to feed a child over the weekend.

Written on 9/15/2014 by Blogger Parker White