Bread for the World and Participant Media Announce Joint Launch of "A Place at the Table"

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bread for the World and Participant Media are pleased to announce their alliance for the release of A Place at the Table: Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters and the documentary film A Place at the Table. The Offering of Letters campaign and the film, which share the same name, will both launch on March 1, 2013.

"One in six Americans does not always have enough to eat, and nearly 900 million people around the world struggle with hunger on a daily basis," said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. "A major documentary like A Place at the Table can help move hunger to the top of our national priorities."

A Place at the Table shows the valiant and crucial efforts to feed Americans who don't have enough food and those on the front lines in the fight against hunger. The documentary is produced by Participant Media, which also produced Food, Inc. and An Inconvenient Truth. Magnolia Pictures is the distributor.

"We are excited to join forces with Bread for the World on A Place at the Table and its social action campaign." said Chad Boettcher, Participant's executive vice president of Social Action and Advocacy. "Activating communities of faith is crucial for getting our country to focus on hunger and prioritize it."

A Place at the Table raises awareness of the vital importance of federally funded nutrition programs. Despite the tireless work of local churches and charities to deliver food to the tables of vulnerable Americans, those efforts combined are only the equivalent of 4 percent of federal expenditures on U.S. anti-hunger programs. The federal government provides 23 times the amount of food assistance as does charity.

"We are excited about this tremendous opportunity to raise awareness and inspire people to act. Isaiah reminds us that God's table is abundant for all people, 'a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines, of rich food filled with marrow…'" added Beckmann. "That vision of God's bounty informs the advocacy work of Bread for the World."

Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters petitions President Obama to set a goal and work with Congress on a plan to end hunger. It also urges Congress to protect programs vital to hungry and poor people as it focuses on balancing the budget.

The documentary is accompanied by a social action campaign organized through a first-of-its-kind National Action Center, operated by Participant Media and its national and local alliance partners. Starting on March 1, the public can access it by calling (855-48TABLE), clicking (takepart.com/table), or texting (FOOD to 77177).

The National Action Center provides a variety of resources, including Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters toolkit and a movie study guide, "No Place at the Table." Both campaigns provide Bread activists and people of faith with more avenues for action, at both the local and the national levels.

For more information about A Place at the Table: Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters, visit www.bread.org/ol.

Bread for the World (www.bread.org) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

SOURCE Bread for the World