"A Place at the Table" Documents Hunger in US Amid Tremendous Waste of Food

Community Plates is showing the documentary A Place at the Table on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk.

Community Plates, who hosted a "Food for All" fundraiser last month at the Loading Dock is partnering with  Person-to-Person on this event. 

P2P, an emergency assistance agency, educate the audience about the hunger crisis facing America and to encourage attendees to get involved in solving the problem through volunteerism.  Doors open at 6:30p.m. and the film begins at 7:00 pm.

The film, "A Place at the Table," tells the powerful stories of three Americans who face hunger on a daily basis, maintaining their dignity even as they struggle just to eat. 

The film has received much acclaim and shed light on a crisis that impacts 50 million Americans, including nearly 100,000 in Connecticut, one of the wealthiest states in the nation.

 “A Place at the Table offers an informative and compelling look that will hopefully inspire people to get involved to end hunger in America," said Kevin Mullins, executive director and co-founder of Community Plates in a release.

With 40 percent of America’s food supply going to waste, Community Plates stresses that food insecurity is a matter of logistics, not a lack of food.  The organization has created a volunteer-driven, technology-fueled method for transferring surplus food to those in need. 

Volunteer food runners collect food donations from area restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and the like and deliver the items directly to local food pantries and soup kitchens. The direct transfer method enables donations to include fresh foods, which greatly enhances the nutritional value of available food.

Person-to-Person is one of the agencies benefiting from the efforts of Community Plates volunteers. More than $60,000 of donated food was provided to Person-to-Person in the first two years of the partnership, and another $70,000 is expected to be rescued in 2013, according to P2P Executive Director Ceci Maher.

The two organizations teamed up to present A Place at the Table. Stepping Stones Museum for Children is donating the space for the evening and funding has been provided by a grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation.  The event is free and refreshments will be served.