a place at the table- response

What is your personal reaction to this movie? Did you have any preexisting ideas about food insecurity? Were you surprised by some of the information that was presented? Why or why not?

My personal reaction to this movie was shock. Though I knew that food insecurity was an issue among the poor in the United States, I didn’t realize the severity of the situation. The fact that kids are going to bed hungry or eating things like ramen and Chef Boyardee every day is really sad. This is setting them up for a life of unhealthy food habits and obesity. Another thing that didn’t sit right with me was how when a single mother transitioned from food stamps to being employed full-time, her family ended up worse off than before. It isn’t fair or reasonable to expect someone’s finances to stabilize as soon as they get a job… they’re still living in poverty! Additionally, the lack of good grocery stores in poor neighborhoods is a pretty blatant sign of classism.

If you were in a position to directly or indirectly influence the issue at hand (such as a politician or policy maker) what would you do to help? What policies do you think could aid those that are hungry?

I think that what needs to be done is instead of trying to use temporary solutions to fix things, there needs to be a more comprehensive look at why this issue keeps growing. Why are people hungry? Why are people poor? One thing to keep in mind is the bigger the population, the more poor people there will be. However, this issue is worsened by the growing gap between the lower, middle, and upper classes. We can’t use food banks and food drives to solve poverty. Though charity is kind, it doesn’t do anything to fix things longterm; it is a bandaid. The government needs to realize that this issue is worth much more money than they have given up to date. Raising people of all backgrounds to be healthy is extremely important to the next generation. Programs like food stamps should not only be available to the poorest of the poor; this leaves families who make just a little too much equally as hungry. There also needs to be a better way to transition off of government help into independence.

 

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