Clairton to be part of food insecurity documentary

By ERIC SEIVERLING

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

Clairton will be in the spotlight next month when WQED airs its latest documentary “Starved: Our Food Insecurity Crisis.”

The documentary examines food insecurity and how it affects thousands in the region. It will debut at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 on WQED and will rebroadcast at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9.

The film focuses on several regions of western Pennsylvania hurt by food insecurity, including Clairton, Homewood, Greene County and Erie.

According to the show’s producers, more than a million people in Pennsylvania are hungry because they cannot afford or do not have access to healthy food. Many others are unsure of how or where they might get their next proper meal. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the gaps in the food systems in western Pennsylvania.

The documentary’s writer and producer, Beth Dolinar, said entire communities are cut off from proper nutrition because there are no grocery stores nearby, causing these communities to be labeled as food deserts. Some neighborhoods have turned into food swamps — with a proliferation of fast-food restaurants and no healthy options.

“The first shoot we went on was in Clairton at the high school, and 412 Food Rescue was there handing out food and there were hundreds of cars lined up,” Dolinar said. “We spent the rest of the day in Clairton, talking to people. 

“Clairton is a food desert. At one time, there were seven or eight full grocery stores in the area, but in 2004, the last one closed. Since then, the dollar stores have come in and they’re convenient, but a lot of it is processed food. They do fulfill a need, but it’s still a food desert.”

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