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Community Corner

"A Place at the Table" at United Presbyterian Church of West Orange

United Presbyterian Church of West Orange will host a free community screening of A Place at the Table on Friday, September 20 at 7 p.m.  Being shown publicly for the first time in Essex County, the 90-minute film examines the connections between food access, hunger and obesity, and the impact of these systemic problems on the health and development of children.


Rosie is a fifth grader who has trouble concentrating in school because she is often just plain hungry; she often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her.  Barbie is a single mom, wanting to go to school but struggling to make ends meet to feed her two kids. Tremonica is a 2nd grader whose health problems are exacerbated by the largely empty - but affordable - calories her working mother can afford.

These are the three people we meet in A Place at the Table, a compelling documentary that examines the issues of hunger through their struggles with food insecurity.  Why are almost 50 million Americans hungry, and why are more than 23.5 million kids and teenagers overweight or obese - and sometimes hungry too?

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Immediately following the film, a panel of specialists in food access will engage in a discussion with the audience, with refreshments afterwards. Released in March 2013, the film is distributed by Magnolia Pictures; see a trailer at www.upcwo.org.  

UPCWO is located at 20 Old Indian Road (just off Prospect Avenue) in West Orange.  For more information or directions, call 973-731-1868 or visit www.upcwo.org.  

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