Through coalition building and filmmaking, Bridges is on a mission to eliminate childhood hunger.
We may know Jeff Bridges best for his decades of work in front of the camera, not the least of which is as the Dude in the The Big Lebowski or as a fading star in Crazy Heart. Yet, some of his passion can be found as an activist and film producer with a purpose: his pursuit to end childhood hunger America. His 2012 feature documentary A Place at the Table screened at the inaugural Awakened World International Film Festival in Santa Barbara this October and was followed by an engaging panel conversation. As opposed to what Bridges calls his sexy work (acting and music), he refers to his commitment to ending hunger as challenging work. It’s a challenge with substance.
Jeff is proud of the documentary, which investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of American children and proposes solutions to the problem. He is quoted in the film with the following words that continue to echo in my ear, “If another nation was doing this to our children, we’d be at war.” Jeff is equally proud of the award-winning drama dealing with the same subject that he made with his brother Beau in 1996, called Hidden in America.
Jeff aligns his efforts with a number of organizations working at the local, state and national levels, and he collaborates with like-minded politicians who are all seeking solutions to ending childhood hunger. He founded the nonprofit End Hunger Network and is the national spokesperson for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. This campaign connects families in need with programs already in existence and teaches them how to cook healthy, affordable meals.
Jeff calls ending childhood hunger a patriotic issue, noting that Santa Barbara is a microcosm of the country and expressed a wish to make it a no-kid-hungry county. His aim is to “start with kids, then work with the seniors.“
When Jeff is asked what keeps him inspired to work on this cause, he immediately responds with “I meditate.” He continues, “Cynicism is the terror in ourselves. I want to fight that and keep with this momentum.” He is also motivated by being a parent, by imagining change, and by having great compassion for humanity and our adaptability.
Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!