Riverside Film Showing to Benefit East Side Soup Kitchen

It’s all about food on Sunday, Oct.13, when the Riverside Saginaw Film Festival hosts a special showing of a film titled “Biggest Little Farm.”  Running 91 minutes, the 2019 documentary follows a couple through its successes and failures as they work to develop a sustainable organic farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles.  Over eight years, the desolate land they purchase begins to thrive and is transformed. 

The film begins at 5pm at the Court Street Theatre, 1216 Court St., and proceeds will benefit the East Side Soup Kitchen in Saginaw. Founded in 1979, the soup kitchen provides free weekday noontime meals to the needy as well as an afterschool meal to children at all recreational centers.

“Biggest Little Farm”  is also being sponsored by the Maple Grille Restaurant and Microbrewery of Hemlock. It’s chef/owner Josh Schaeding will attend and speak about his use of local crop and meat vendors.

“It’s an uplifting and even inspirational film that seems a perfect fit for harvest time ....and counterpoint for the often depressing times we are experiencing,” says festival director Irene Hensinger.

“Our festival is committed to bringing the best independent films to the Great Lakes Bay Area, often partnering with local businesses like Maple Grille and supporting non-profit organizations like the East Side Soup Kitchen.”

“Biggest Little Farm” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and won honors at Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals as well as others. Admission to the showing in Saginaw is $5 dollars at the door.

The East Side Soup Kitchen is located at 940 E. Genesee and shares a building with Hidden Harvest — another nonprofit. It collects unneeded or unserved food from restaurants and grocery stores and donates it to charitable feeding programs like the soup kitchen.