Nyabweza Itaagi is an AmeriCorps VISTA with Hunger Free Colorado, focusing on community education and outreach. She’s a Colorado native and recent graduate of the University of Denver. Please enjoy her post A Place at the Table: Reactions & Actions
Earlier this month, Chipotle hosted its weekly film screening as part of the Sustainable Food Film Series at the Denver Botanic Gardens. I was surprised at the turnout; I had never before attended one of the screenings in the series. The main event of the evening was watching and discussing the documentary, A Place at the Table.
As a part of Hunger Free Colorado’s staff, several of my co-workers had mentioned how much they were impacted by the documentary, so I had high expectations for it. I had heard that the documentary had compelled many people to take action to end hunger in the U.S., and that it had been one of the motivators for creating the Hunger P.O.D. Squad, a way that people of all ages across the state can take action to eradicate hunger in Colorado.
After watching A Place at the Table, I could absolutely understand why the public’s reaction was so action-driven. The varying personal stories and struggles shared in the film helped to shatter the common misconceptions about hunger. They showed that most people experiencing hunger on a regular basis are extremely hard working and their situations are often made more difficult due to a broken system.
Upon the conclusion of the film, I saw people squirming in their seats with the urge to reform systems in a way that stopped the marginalization of those who need the most support. People eagerly took materials on ways to get involved in the statewide fight against hunger and told me how they were going to tell their friends and neighbors about the documentary. It was a truly impactful documentary that I recommend everyone to watch to gain more knowledge about hunger in the U.S.
If you have seen it, what did you think? How have you taken action to help end hunger?
Twitter Handle: @HungerFreeCO
Website: www.HungerFreeColorado.org
Blog: http://blog.hungerfreecolorado.org/
