On Tuesday, Feb. 15, SUNY Fredonia will present a free screening of “Fresh” (2009), a documentary that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.
The film will be shown at 7 p.m. at the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator, 214 Central Ave. in downtown Dunkirk. It will conclude with a discussion by Joshua Curry-Bascome and Sarah Sorci of Chautauqua County Rural Ministry’s Gleaning Project. The event is free and open to the public, and the third in a four-film series sponsored by SUNY Fredonia’s Academic Community Engagement (FACE) Center.
For the past 10 years the Gleaning Project has been working to provide nutritious food for less fortunate families. Working with local farms to collect leftover crops and teaching volunteers how to create and sustain community gardens, the project has distributed over 650,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables throughout Chautauqua County. Bascome and Socri will speak about their local efforts to innovate food systems and offer audience members volunteer opportunities to work on various initiatives.
Directed by Swiss-born filmmaker and human rights advocate Ana Sofia Joanes, “Fresh” doesn’t focus on the problems with U.S. food production. Rather, it is a reflection of the rising movement of communities and people across America who are building local food networks and encouraging individuals to become more connected with their food.
The film highlights stories of everyday people who offer a practical vision of how to forge healthier, sustainable alternatives to our food system. It showcases the different ways people make a difference with food to benefit the planet’s future. Joanes includes these real-life accounts of sustainability because she made the film, “not to connect the audience with facts and figures or an apocalyptic policy analysis, but with examples of personal initiative and concrete ways to engage
in a new food model.”
To learn more, contact Professor Christina Jarvis at 716-673-3430 or jarvisc@fredonia.edu. To learn about SUNY Fredonia’s overarching sustainability initiatives, visit www.fredonia.edu/earthweek/.
