A Place at the Table” Promotion to Benefit Children in Need

During the first weekend of March, booksellers can make a difference in the lives of needy children through sales of A Place at the Table: The Crisis of 49 Million Hungry Americans and How to Solve It (PublicAffairs), the companion book to the documentary film of the same name, which opens that weekend.

The book and documentary address the hunger crisis in America, in which one in four children do not know where their next meal is coming from. Participant Media, the entertainment company responsible for the acclaimed documentaries An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., and Waiting for Superman, illustrates how hunger poses serious economic, social, and cultural implications for the nation that could be solved once and for all if the American public decides that making healthy food available and affordable is in the country’s best interest.

From Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3, for every copy of A Place at the Table sold, Plum Organics will donate one Super Smoothie — a drink pouch that contains daily nutrients that are essential to children — to a family in need.

As community institutions, independent booksellers are well-positioned to generate a deeper interest in the hunger crisis at a local level, said Lisa Kaufman, marketing director at PublicAffairs. “Booksellers can help raise awareness about the hidden crisis in America by selling books that go with a film that is powerful and moving,” she said. “By doing so — and frankly, without much administrative responsibility — they can help make an invaluable donation to hungry children across the country.”

Booksellers are encouraged to stock up on copies of A Place at the Table and raise awareness by creating an in-store display and promoting the event through e-mail newsletters and online communications with customers. To request images to use in signage or for a 8.5" x 11" easel, stores should send an e-mail to Lindsay Fradkoff at PublicAffairs.

Orders can be placed through the bookstore’s Perseus sales rep. The total number of copies sold over the weekend will be tabulated by BookScan.

The film A Place at the Table is being released on March 1 in theaters, on iTunes, and On Demand everywhere. For more information about the film, and to see a trailer, visit the film’s website. Plum Organics will also donate a “Super Smoothie” for every movie ticket purchase and film downloaded that weekend.