Hunger Free BG hosted its first event at The Capitol to inform the community about the struggles of food insecurity on Tuesday.
A short documentary titled “Food, Insecure” was shown at 6:30 p.m., followed by a panel discussion. The panel consisted of Carlos Bailey, city commissioner, Charles Dennis, executive director of Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland, Julie Milam, executive vice president of Partnership Services for Bowling Green area Chamber of Commerce, Jennifer Wethington, executive director of The Community Foundation of South Central Kentucky and Dave Miner, co-producer for the film and convener for Hunger Free BG.
The Indiana-based film follows several families through their struggles to put meals on the table. The film showcased the resources available to them, while also addressing the broader issue of food insecurity.
This is the second film co-produced by Miner in his campaign to educate local communities about food insecurity. The first documentary, titled “The Working Hungry,” was released in 2022, and a new film about food insecurity on college campuses titled “Hungry to Learn” is set to release in September. Miner said there have been more than 200 screenings of the films accompanied by discussion panels.
“We’re really gratified to think that we’re causing good conversations to have,” Miner said.
A major point of discussion at the event was the job market. The film showed examples of people working two to three jobs and not making enough to feed their families.
Bailey, when asked what the government could do to help, said the city is working with the Chamber of Commerce and the county to make sure “we’re bringing in jobs that truly pay.”
“Can we do more?” Bailey said, “I think we can always do more.”
Hunger Free BG is a relatively new group created in January of this year. The group has plans to facilitate the food pantries to work together more and wants to hone in on one specific issue from the film to make a significant difference.
“I thought that the film was extremely impactful,” Mary Evans, an attendee at the event, said. “It helped us see where our strengths are, and then areas where we really need to focus our energies.”
Hunger Free BG welcomes all who wish to advocate and encourages everyone to get involved. You can find more information about Hunger Free BG on their Facebook.
“If you haven’t had the experience of being food insecure yourself, find a way to get to know somebody who is because, as the woman in the film said, it’ll change your life,” Miner said in an interview with the Herald.
