My Art and Its Story

                                                           The Kids Table​

       The kids' table was created as a call to action to show others that, within a group of five children in Georgia, at least one of them is or could be going hungry. The reason I chose to create the kids' table is that most people are familiar with the comforting kids' table that accompanies most holiday gatherings, and the fond memories made while sharing food and spending quality time with family and friends.  While the kids' table is a cherished memory or tradition for some, it means something different to one in five children in Georgia struggling with food insecurity. Instead of enjoying a great meal, many kids in Georgia are left with unsatisfied appetites because the food ran out at their local food pantry or their parents didn’t qualify for government programs created to help fill their plates, such as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). You may notice that one of the plates is empty. ​

     This plate was created to represent the one child who goes without food and encourages you to think about how you can help fill their need. You might also notice that the word 'Georgia' is running off the table. This is because I wanted to show that Georgia isn’t the only place where children are left with empty plates, and it shouldn’t be the main focus of this piece. Food Insecurity isn’t only a national issue, but it is a global problem. When preparing the food for the plates, I chose to only make WIC-approved foods to demonstrate what a plate can look like when a child relies primarily on a government program for nutrition, and to emphasize that supplemental government programs do not cover all necessities.