A Place At The Table: Video Analysis

Fact A Place at the Table (Silverbush and Jacobson, 2013) was about the hunger in America, including programs that involve food stamps and school lunch programs. It discussed the need and increase for healthy food in America and the lack of food security. The movie talked about women in America who are currently struggling to make ends meet due to making “too much” money according to standards to meet the need for food stamps. It also shows several families who are trying to make ends meet while working several jobs and depending on resources provided by the community. In the video they talked about the convenience and availability of unhealthy food such as processed snack foods. The cost of fresh fruits has gone up 40 percent since the 1980’s while processed foods has decreased 40 percent. Ultimately, A Place at the Table, shows us how hunger poses serious economic, social and cultural implications for our nation, and that it could be solved once and for all, if the American public decides making healthy food available and affordable is in the best interest of the American people.
Credibility
The credibility of A Place at the Table seems to be accurate and true. Throughout the video they show government lobbies, and people on national television that provide to the hungry and see the real need.
Reaction
Throughout my studies and as a citizen of America, I’ve always been aware of the issues we have with hunger.
Hunger was ramped through my high school growing up. I grew up in a small town in New York, Hamlin. We were made up of farmers, machinists, and stay at home mothers. Many of us qualified for $.50 lunches even though we were too embarrassed to share it. Being from a family that never had much, I understand what it’s like to struggle. My parents always made sure we had food on the table and that was something they refused to allow us to go without. Because of that, we didn’t have cable or internet. We went without the things we didn’t
need. Hunger is an issue that I haven’t done much about. Although we always helped out in a food shelf as kids, I didn’t realize how wide spread the issue is in my own country. They stated in the movie that as a nation if we don’t get control of this we will “live sicker and die younger”, and that scares me. I want to be part of an American generation that took control of the need but if we don’t do something soon, then nothing will change. My reaction towards this movie is both anger and motivation.
Application
What am I going to do about hunger on a personal level? Knowing what I know after this video, I’m going to seek out food shelves and food banks and help out. My heart breaks to know that innocent children are going without food in my own city. I have already called and will begin volunteering next weekend bring healthy and nutritious food bags to the doors of my own personal community. I hope to team up with the local farmers, as we are a farming community, and use them as a resource to meet more needs.
As a social worker, I will make it a priority of mine to fight for change in hunger and make hunger a more known issue. Like it was stated in the movie, hunger has become a problem that people are ashamed to acknowledge; therefore no one is taking care of it. There will be several times when we come in contact with families like Barbie’s. You have a child like her son, who has cognitive delays with no cause. I know understand that lack of food and nutrition can cause issues like this. I never understood what lack of food could do to a child in that capacity. In social work, we come in contact with so many people with so many needs. There are systematic situations that may cause their current issues. Lack of food has become so common, and more frequent. I hope to make connections within the community to understand where to send my clients when they are hungry. I also hope to provide more places for my clients to go when they are hungry and need help. Our clients are our responsibility and although we aren’t suppose to take our work home with us, we live in a community full of hungry people, how can you not?
At a personal level, I am so thankful for this documentary and bringing this topic to my attention. It’s so common in my life that I take food for granted and just takes the easy way out and avoids hunger and poverty. I forget that there are people right next store to me who are experiencing food insecurity and distress. I’m now more aware and knowledgeable on ways to help people in both micro and macro. I think groups like Witness to Hunger and local food shelves are great ways to provide to the need of hunger, yet we need so much more.