By Juli Fahey

In light of the upcoming holidays and the focus on hunger at this time of year, it’s always worth asking the question: Do you have a place at the table?

If you haven’t seen it already, check out A Place at the Table. The 2012 documentary, narrated by Jeff Bridges, explores the lives of American families that are food insecure by following three families and their every day struggles with hunger. These families do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Worcester’s own U.S. Rep. James McGovern (D-Massachusetts) participated in this documentary to bring attention to the issue of hunger in the United States. “This is not an issue that people think about on a regular basis,” McGovern said, adding that the U.S. is the “richest, most powerful country; we should be ashamed of ourselves,” in regards to letting hunger become a concern for so many families.

McGoverns said hunger is “when people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Chances are you know someone who is struggling with hunger, whether you know it or not.”

In the United States, 50 million Americans live with food insecurity. Many of these families are working-class families who get food assistance from programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

However, McGovern said, eating off of food stamps is no easy task, something McGovern saw firsthand when he took The Food Stamp Challenge. McGovern struggled to find food that he could afford on his allotted $3 a day. “It took forever for me to buy things,” he said.

McGovern said bluntly, “It is hard to be poor.” There are places to get food such as food pantries and soup kitchens, which provide valuable services to the communities they serve. However, produce is not widely available at such places because it does not survive nearly as long as canned goods. Therefore, food pantries stock up on nonperishable food, which can be high in salt, fat and calories and low in nutrients. These foods are empty calories, and people are eating them to “make them feel full,” McGovern said.

Beyond looking at hunger, A Place at the Table examines the nutritional challenges families face as “junk” food prices drop and produce prices rise, causing families that struggle to afford food to choose unhealthy foods over healthy foods. When this happens, children especially, are not getting a nutritious meal.

Children that do not receive healthy meals are at a disadvantage. Hunger affects their immune systems, causing illness in toddlers. Older children cannot concentrate in school when they are hungry. They fall behind in school, which affects their future earning potential.

McGovern said he believes that there must be a plan. It has to be “more than just a press conference; it has to be the real deal.”

He does not think it will take decades to solve the issue of food insecurity. Last month, McGovern was asked to be part of a conference committee that will take part in completing a five-year-long reauthorization of the Farm Bill. This committee will work to end hunger nationwide.

“We can fix this problem.” McGovern said.

For more information about A Place at the Table, visit magpictures.com/aplaceatthetable. For a list of local food pantries, which are always accepting donations, visit foodbank.org/PDF/agencylist.pdf.