NJPAC to Host Free Food Security Film Screening and Panel Discussion

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will host the final Standing in Solidarityevent of the season on Monday, June 22, at 6PM. The program includes a PSEG Foundation Social Impact film screening followed by a panel conversation. 

The theme of the evening, Feeding Change, Building Food Security, will address how private-public partnerships are increasing access to healthy foods and leading the charge on educating the public about affordable and beneficial food options. 

Doors will open at 5PM so attendees can browse resource tables and sample food made from locally grown ingredients provided by Newark Science and Sustainability Inc., a nonprofit that builds healthy food sustainability through educational programs, agricultural training and green initiatives. Tabling organizations include Center for Food Action, Newark Water Coalition, Plant It NJ, Tree House Cares and more.

“At NJPAC, we believe that the arts have the power to both entertain and inspire meaningful change,” says Dr. Sherri-Ann Butterfield, Senior Vice President of Social Impact at NJPAC. “Through initiatives like our Standing in Solidarityseries, we — and our community partners — create space for vital conversations on pressing challenges such as food insecurity. Ensuring that nutritious food is affordable and accessible is a community and statewide imperative that speaks to the health and dignity of all people.”

The PSEG Foundation Social Impact film is the award-winning documentary Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. Two filmmakers dive into the issue of food waste in the U.S. and uncover the shocking reasons why more than 50% of food is thrown in the trash.  

“NJPAC is a vital partner in bringing communities together and elevating meaningful conversations, especially during these challenging times marked by rising costs of living,” says Maria Spina, Senior Manager PSEG Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility. “Addressing critical issues such as addressing food security remains essential, and the PSEG Foundation is proud to support programs that strengthen local voices and inspire learning and collaboration across New Jersey.”

In partnership with Dodge Poetry, the program will open with a reading by Brittany Barker, an award-winning poet, educator and Executive Director of Creative Soul House. 

Jasmyne Beckford, Director of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial, will moderate the panel. Featured panelists include Bryan Barros, Program Associate at pantry+ at Rutgers University–Newark, Nicole Davis, Executive Director of the Center for Food Action, Tobias A. Fox, Founder and Managing Director of Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc. and Facilitator of the Newark Community Food System (NCFS), Dr. Nicole Harris-Hollingsworth, EdD, MCHES, Senior Vice President, Social Determinants & Impact, Hackensack Meridian Health, and a representative from the corporate leadership from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a shelf-stable item for a food drive to benefit Growing Healthy Pantries. Recommended items include canned fish, meat, vegetables and fruit; shelf stable milk; pasta; cereal; rice and peanut butter (plastic jars only).  

This free event, sponsored in part by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Hackensack Meridian Health, is part of the North to Shore Festival Welcomes the World running June 13 – July 19 in Newark, Asbury Park and Atlantic City. A portion of all ticket sales will directly benefit Growing Healthy Pantries — a statewide collaborative that addresses food security in partnership with New Jersey's five primary food banks, supporting more than 1,000 local pantries across all 21 counties. 

This event is also supported by Prudential Financial and United Airlines. 

Standing in Solidarity, NJPAC's ongoing series of monthly conversations built around issues of social impact, is supported by the PSEG Foundation. Most of these programs include a screening of a socially-engaged documentary paired with a thought-provoking post-screening talk featuring a panel of activists, academics, journalists and others deeply engaged with the topic. 

To RSVP for the June 22 program and for more information, visit Standing in Solidarity. 

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