We barely see the impact of food banks on the local news or cable news channels. They may show a long line of cars or packing boxes into a car. The personal transaction ends up happening all the time without a camera in sight.
The example that the TV show Trickster shows us about food banks is not a typical personal transaction. Turns out the young woman Sarah (Anna Lambe) volunteering at the food bank is the girlfriend of the customer Jared (Joel Oulette). Jared didn't know Sarah was working there before going into the food bank.
The scene happened in Episode 4 of what turns out to be the only season for Trickster, airing on the CW in the United States and CBC in its native Canada. Trickster takes place in a remote area of Kitimat, British Columbia, far away from the bright lights of Vancouver. Even the fast food place where Jared worked doesn't provide cheap meals.
Jared's mother is missing. The power had been turned off and all the food was ruined. A lot of drama for him as well. Jared definitely needed help.
Sarah starts out with peanut butter: "Smooth or crunchy?" Jared replies, "Smooth." Sarah teases him about his choice but says she isn't there to judge.
"Kraft Dinner or canned spaghetti?" Jared isn't sure so Sarah gives him both. (In Canada, Kraft Dinner is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the United States.)
He asks for beer. She said, "All yours if I did." You aren't going to find beer in a food bank.
Sarah loads a few more items into a box.
In the next scene, Jared offers her a chocolate pudding from the box.
Trickster is a show about an Indigenous community. The creators and producers thought showing such a scene was important to show the world where these people live. Jared feels a bit of shame when he realizes his girlfriend is on the other side of the table at the food bank. Sarah quickly reassures me that it's cool.
The sign for the Kitimat Community Harvest says: Distributing food; Community recycling; Resources for Families; Neighbourhood events. Yes, food banks are a way to supplement food and be a part of the community. The people behind the table and in front of the table are all human beings trying to create a better world.
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People who go to food banks shouldn't feel shame, even if they do know people behind the counter. The need for food banks for people, employed or not, was gigantic before the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people who received the unemployment supplement last summer went over 6 months without any federal assistance. Many who ran successful small businesses haven't been able to get the PPP loans where the rich were able to get so much.
A 6-episode series in Canada had the foresight to have a scene involving a food bank in a TV drama. A small step but more needs to be shown to show there is no shame in needing a food bank. The Republicans in Congress have blocked financial help to the poor and middle-class in the United States. Turning to a food bank is becoming the new norm in the United States. Time to make that experience to be the opposite of shame. You are standing up for you and your family to provide food. There is no shame in helping your family eat.
Trickster is available in the United States on the CW Network. Our Canadian friends can watch the episodes on CBC Gem.
photos credit: Trickster/CBC/CW
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