Guest blog: What’s On Your Plate?

Note to readers: What’s On Your Plate? sent me a free copy of their book because the blog appeared in the school lunch chapter. The words of the blog post are theirs, but the photos of the book were taken by me.

Hello, we’d like to introduce ourselves. We are the What’s On Your Plate? project. It started out with an idea, then came a movie, and we have now developed curriculum and a family activity/recipe book as well as some really cute t-shirts, buttons, posters, and pins.

What’s On Your Plate? the movie, is a witty and provocative documentary produced and directed by award-winning Catherine Gund about kids and food politics. Filmed over the course of one year, the film follows two eleven-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. With the camera as their companion, the girl guides talk to each other, food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates.

Following the film project, the What’s On Your Plate? team set to building a community to make the film’s impact as large as possible. Through this process, we met new people, re-engaged with the original community and learned from new projects. We decided to make a book with all the lessons and ideas we found- including Mrs. Q’s journey! She shows up in our chapter on school lunch.

In What’s On Your Plate? the book, seven kids and their families explore the food chain, sharing fundamental questions and vital discoveries. With honest, humor, and creativity, they face serious issues including the lack of access to fresh food; health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and food allergies; and the national school lunch program. They celebrate time together by cooking and gathering at the table. The stories, recipes and terrific activities in this book will inspire readers of all ages to be conscious of what they’re eating and where it comes from, and to make positive changes in their homes, schools, and communities.

It’s been a wonderful experience meeting and learning every step of the way. We have a screening map that you can check to see if What’s On Your Plate? is coming to an area near you, or you can host your own screening. If you are looking to enjoy What’s On Your Plate? at home, we have DVDs and books available in our shop and it is also available for streaming on Netflix. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments- we’d love to meet all of you.

You can watch the movie trailer below:
 
 
 
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One thought on “Guest blog: What’s On Your Plate?

  1. thanks for sharing this project and film. will be checking them out on netflix. we are planning for next year's Eat to Learn program and it would be nice to do a screening of a film on family night. a film made by kids for kids would be ideal!

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