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Sacramento resident Robert Lee Grant will screen his documentary Nourishing the Kids of Katrina Wednesday at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center in McKinley Park.

The film focuses on Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard program in two New Orleans schools: Green Charter and Arthur Ashe Charter Schools. It will feature commentary from First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama regarding the installment of the White House's own organic garden and concerns about America's obesity epidemic.

In 1995, The Edible Schoolyard was established at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School In Berkeley, Calif. by the Chez Panisse Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Waters. In an article in NRTA Live & Learn, an online educational journal, Waters described the benefit of using the cycle of food growth and consumption as a tool to enrich the lives of children.

"Through gardening and cooking and eating meals together you can learn empathy and compassion and sharing," Waters said. "It's very powerful to witness. Food is about care. These kids are hungry."

"Food is about care, and the Edible Schoolyard has proven that when the children feel cared for, it keeps them coming back and eating," Waters wrote. "We find that when they grow food and cook it, they all eat it. They like this kind of experiential education. And they like and need to be cared for and nourished."

According to a study by Harvard Medical School cited in The New York Times Magazine, “After one year, students at King, compared with a control group at a similar middle school, showed improvement in behavior and had fewer emotional problems. They were savvier about ecology, and their overall grade point averages improved.”

Edible School Yard New Orleans (ESY NOLA) started in fall 2006 at two public charter schools. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade participate in gardening and cooking lessons that enforce academic curriculum in areas like math, social studies and science. According to ESY NOLA's website, the program serves a student body of 320, 98 percent of which are African American, 75 percent are from single parent homes and 95 percent qualify for federal or reduced-fee breakfast and lunch programs. Students participate in hands-on learning experiences through weekly classes, where they learn skills such as how to work as a team or correctly set a table, and seasonal events that utilize local foods.

Grant has only produced one other short film in his career. After Hurricane Katrina, Grant enrolled in a five-week course at the San Francisco School for Digital Film-making (SFSDF). The eight-minute film about Waters' Berkeley institution was used to help raise $1.3 million to build ESY NOLA.

"Hurricane Katrina was the defining moment because I wanted to do something special for NOLA, and it coincided with my longtime desire to become an artist/filmmaker," Grant said.

Grant said that being one of the first 10,000 supporters of Obama's campaign influenced the film's direction. His film educates about the Obama administration's efforts in battling the obesity epidemic through the support of organic foods and healthy eating.

"The film is intended to be seen in schools around the country to support President Obama's and First Lady Obama's efforts to bring awareness to the issues of obesity and good nutrition among kids and teachers and health care professionals," Grant said. "Those of us who volunteered for the Obama Campaign have to continue to support presidential initiatives with whatever talents that we possess. Change happens from the bottom up!"

Grant lived in NOLA from November 2004 to January 2009 when he made the permanent move to Sacramento. He cites his favorite part of the film-making process as the interview with two young female ESY NOLA participants, through whom he hopes to show viewers how programs like ESY NOLA have positively benefited American youth, from better nutrition habits to a greater appreciation of nature.

The obesity epidemic is a great challenge for the Obama administration and American society at large, but Nourishing the Kids of Katrina's message is ultimately one of hope.

"[People should take away] a sense of possibility to do something about the childhood obesity epidemic in our country, which is currently on track to make today's generation of kids the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents," Grant said. "If a program like the 'edible schoolyard' can be developed in poor black schools in NOLA, then other programs like it can be successfully developed in every school in the U.S.A."

Following the film's end will be a question-and-answer portion with Grant and Bill Maynard, city of Sacramento community gardens developer. Grant will be fielding questions about the film while Maynard will give advice and instruction on creating community gardens or how to attain a plot within a community garden. Proceeds from the screening will benefit Sacramento American Community Gardening Association; suggested donations range from $5-10.



WHAT: Robert Grant Lee's Nourishing the Kids of Katrina Screening, with discussion to follow
WHERE: Shepard Garden & Arts Center McKinley Park. 3330 McKinley Blvd
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. (Doors open). Film to start 7-7:30 p.m.

*Volunteers are needed for setup and cleanup, e-mail karenhansen108@comcast.com if interested.
*May want to bring cushion to sit on, as seating is metal folding chairs.