Educational Media Reviews Online

“Pay it forward” is the underlying theme of this documentary profile of three remarkable individuals who each took it upon themselves to make a difference in human suffering in their own communities. Katie Stagliano, a young girl in South Carolina, Narayanan Krishnan, a chef in India, and Allan Law, a retired schoolteacher in Minnesota, are to all appearances “ordinary” people with an extraordinary zeal for ending hunger. Katie’s efforts are channeled through gardening and her “Katie’s Krops” nonprofit. Krishnan gave up his career as a chef to make and serve meals – sometimes feeding by hand – to the many homeless residents of his city. Allen goes without sleep, ignoring his own health issues, to provide food and bus tokens throughout the nights in Minneapolis. The film provides an extensive view of their experiences working with homeless people on a daily (or nightly) basis, with repeated references to the “ripple effect” their examples provide in inspiring others who may be initially dismayed by the scope of the problems. There is an overreliance on personal accolades in this film, however, which merited though they are become somewhat tedious to the viewer after a time. Perhaps some judicious paring down of the film’s length might have avoided that issue. Still the documentary should serve a useful role among community and faith-based audiences looking for inspiration.