Fans of the novel The Hunger Games are setting up canned good collections to fight global hunger when the film version premieres this month. The Hunger Games is an adventure tale set in a future in which North America has gone through drought, famine, and war.
The film's producers at Lionsgate are partnering with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Feeding America.
Hopefully this activism will spread across the country. We know from history that film gatherings can make a difference in fighting hunger.
At the University of Michigan in 1947, an event was set up where students could view films of the Rose Bowl football games. Their admission price was a canned good, which would be placed upon the Friendship Train.
The Friendship Train traveled across the United States collecting food for the hungry in Europe after World War II. It was one of the magical happenings that took place in the spirit of the Marshall Plan, which saw the rebuilding of a continent from the ruins of war.
The Michigan Daily reported that 10,000 students descended upon area stores buying up canned food. The grocers were practically cleaned out of stock.
So area businesses also benefited from this food drive to help the hungry overseas. One grocer noted that the students made nutritious choices, such as corn.
The Hunger Games has a real opportunity to match this kind of activism, and more so considering that social media provides more ways to organize such an event.
So we will see. Perhaps some of the theaters might even have a showing or two where the admission is a canned good or a one or two dollar donation.
A website has been set up where you can view a video with the stars of the film talking about how you can take action. You can take a quiz and learn more about global hunger. Donations are accepted on the site that will benefit WFP, the largest food aid organization in the world, and Feeding America, which is the leading agency fighting hunger in the United States.
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