Cleveland Food Stories Launches at Garden Valley Neighborhood House

Cleveland Food Stories made its official debut with the screening of Episode One “The Challenge of Food Security” on December 11, 2018. The Garden Valley Neighborhood House, the largest food pantry in Cleveland and a featured initiative in the film, hosted the premiere. The Garden Valley Neighborhood House works to meet the immediate food security needs of the surrounding community while also addressing the long-term needs for residents to ultimately get out of the food bank line. Given that health and financial hardship are the two primary contributors to food insecurity, their programs emphasize health screenings and education, healthy food preparation, and job and skill training to improve employability. Their “EATS” program provides training for youth in the preparation of healthy foods. The youth are often seen catering events for the House and other community activities. The youth gain important job skills while offering healthy food options to the community. It was fitting to have EATS cater the premiere screening of Cleveland Food Stories.

An after-film discussion, featured below, included three individuals featured in the film: Dawn Glasco with Promise Neighborhood, Mark McClain with the Growing Church, and the Garden Valley Neighborhood House’s own Jan Ridgeway. The discussion was moderated by Dee Perry, who co-wrote and provided voice-over narration for the Cleveland Food Stories series.