Potluck Party Kit and Checklist
Ready to host your own Food, Inc. potluck? Here's a guide to getting started!
Planning
- Set a date and place -- The night of April 21st is a great time to host your potluck, but Food, Inc. will also be streaming online in its entirety for 1 week after the broadcast, from April 22nd to April 29th. The Food, Inc. DVD is also on sale in stores and online!
- Invite your guests and ask them to bring a dish -- Create an electronic invite through MyPunchbowl.com (register for the site or sign in through your Facebook account), and use the site's potluck planner once you've sent out your invite. Or, extend the invitation to your friends and family by emailing them, calling them or creating a Facebook event. Ask everyone to bring a healthy, delicious and sustainable dish the night of the party. Make sure vegetarians and others with special food needs will be accommodated.
- Test your A/V equipment and check your local listings -- Make sure your TV or computer connection works before the big bash. And check to make sure that Food, Inc. is airing at the right time on your PBS station by entering your zip code on POV's TV Schedule Page.
- Download this party-planning checklist (PDF) -- Make sure you've got all your bases covered.
The Potluck
- Eat and be merry -- Some of the scenes in Food, Inc. may be, shall we say, unappetizing to you and your guests, so we suggest that you introduce your guests to each other (if they haven't met), eat your potluck dinner, discuss you and your family's eating/food shopping habits, and then watch the film.
- Watch Food, Inc. -- The Academy-Award nominated doc gives us all a lot of food for thought. When the film is finished, give everyone a moment to reflect on what they've seen.
- Talk about the film -- Encourage your guests to share their insights and reactions. You can also give your guests a bit of context about the film (head over to the Film Description to read more about the film, and see what filmmaker Robert Kenner has to say).Here are some questions to get the discussion started
- What was the part of the film that surprised you the most? What was the most memorable or powerful scene?
- Will you change how you and your family eat after watching this film? If so, what are some concrete steps you can take to make these change happen?
- Do you have any questions after watching the film? What do you want to know more about? If you could ask anyone in the film a question, who would you ask and what would you ask them?
- Think back to the dishes at the potluck tonight. Do you know where your food came from?
- What next? Now that you've seen the film, how will you find out more information about topics such as: school lunches, food safety, organic farming and more?
- Take pictures -- We want pictures of the food, the people and the discussion! Join our Food, Inc. potluck group on Flickr and show us what you've got.
Put your feet up and pat yourself on the back for a great party
- Tell us about your potluck for a chance to receive free gifts -- Make sure to leave us your email address, and you may be selected to receive a free POV Gift Basket! Gifts include autographed books from Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, a copy of the Food, Inc. DVD, sustainable food items, gift cards and more.
- Blog/Tweet/Facebook your potluck -- We want to know about your potluck: what you served, who came, what you thought of the film and what you talked about. Blog about your potluck and send us a link! Tweet @povdocs to tell us what you ate. Fan POV on Facebook and leave us a comment about your event.
- Chat with filmmaker Robert Kenner live on Tuesday, April 27th at 2 p.m. EST. Check back next week for more details.
- Take Action -- Find out more about the issues and learn how you can take action by checking out these websites.
- The Filmmaker's Website for Food, Inc.: Learn about each of the issues addressed in the film.
- Take Part: Food, Inc. : The social action network, Take Part, has partnered with Food, Inc. to help viewers find out how to support healthy school lunches, and stay up to date on the issue by reading the Hungry for Change Blog.
- 10 Simple Things You Can Do: Take steps to change your diet and change the food system with these tips from the Food, Inc. filmmakers.
- Eat Well Guide: Find organic, local foods.
- Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention: More on food borne illness prevention and food safety.
- Cool Foods Campaign: Learn about how food impacts global warming.