"This is Hunger" A Must-See Experience Reveals Faces, Stories of America's Hidden Hungry

A first-of-its-kind free exhibit will bring members of the Westchester community face to face with the stark realities of hunger through state-of-the-art storytelling techniques and interactive elements. Westchester Reform Temple will host "This Is Hunger," a national touring exhibit that will be in Scarsdale from Wednesday, October 25 to Sunday, October 29, 2017.

"We often think of hunger in stereotypes, such as the homeless person walking down the street, but the reality of hunger in Westchester is much more complex," said Associate Rabbi David Levy. "This exhibit gives us an opportunity to engage the whole community with an incredible experience that will change the way you look at hunger. We want to help everyone understand that those who are hungry can be your neighbor who just lost her job or the teenager at school who can't concentrate properly because he isn't eating enough nutritious food at home."

Every community struggles with hunger. At the national level, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual report on food security found that nearly 13 percent of American households had difficulty at some point last year in providing enough food for their families.

To raise awareness about the prevalence of hunger in Westchester County, Westchester Reform Temple partnered with MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger to bring "This Is Hunger" to a local audience. The exhibit features black and white portraits by an internationally renowned photojournalist and the stories of dozens of Americans who have had difficulty putting enough nutritious food on the table each day. Through digital and hands-on activities, "This Is Hunger" takes participants on a compelling journey that draws them into the real-life circumstances of these individuals and deepens their awareness about who in America struggles with hunger and why. Visitors are then encouraged to educate others and advocate for change.

"This Is Hunger" is housed in a 53-foot-long double expandable semitrailer that, when parked and opened on both sides, provides nearly 1,000 square feet of exhibit space. The exhibit is on a 10-month national tour that is stopping in more than 30 cities across the country.

For free ticket reservations and tour times, visit thisishunger.org.

About This Is Hunger
"This Is Hunger" is a community engagement program commissioned by MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. The exhibit will tour the United States from Nov. 16, 2016 to through the end of 2017. Key members of the creative team include Marni Gittleman, Creative Director/Principal Concept & Content Developer; Gail Greenberg, Principal Designer; Chris Green, Multimedia Show Developer/Production Designer; and Karen Snider, Project Manager/Developer.
About MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Founded in 1985, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national nonprofit organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. For more information, please visit mazon.org.

About Westchester Reform Temple
Among the more than 1,100 WRT member households you will find the embodiment of Reform Jewish diversity in America today. Our ever-evolving tradition seeks to find meaningful expressions of prayer, song, ritual, study and community involvement, through our five pillars of Avodah (Spirituality), Chavurah (Community), Talmud Torah (Learning), Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World), and Clal Yisrael (The Jewish People). The community is committed to social action. In 2008 WRT completed a "green" sanctuary and transformed the original spaces into new classrooms for our Jewish Learning Lab and a Beit Midrash – place of study. The active congregation always seeks to honor the past with an eye to the future of our community and the world beyond our walls.