“Sharing the Harvest,” a new documentary produced by Kansas State University’s Hungry Heartland Project, will premiere on Smoky Hills PBS. Smoky Hills PBS is a regional network of PBS member television stations serving central and western Kansas.
The documentary will air Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 9 p.m. and will be rebroadcast Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 7 p.m.
“Sharing the Harvest” examines food insecurity and access to nutritious food in Garden City, Kansas. Despite the region’s important role in producing the nation’s food supply, the film reveals a striking contradiction: Many of the agricultural and food-production workers who help sustain America’s food system struggle to provide adequate food for their own families.
Through interviews with community leaders and volunteers, the documentary explores how rising living costs, medical debt and other economic pressures can create a cascading effect that pushes working families toward food insecurity.
The film highlights local organizations including La Comunidad Church, Emmaus House and the Kansas Food Bank, that are working to address those challenges through community-based solutions. Their efforts provide families with fresh produce and other resources while fostering a culture of mutual support and dignity.
Rather than focusing solely on the problem, “Sharing the Harvest” documents the resilience of the Garden City community. Farmers, restaurant owners, nonprofit organizations and residents demonstrate how collaboration can reduce food waste, expand access to nutritious food and help ensure their neighbors have the resources they need.
About Hungry Heartland
Hungry Heartland is a collaborative multimedia storytelling project bringing together Kansas State University faculty and students from units across campus. The project examines stories of food accessibility across Kansas while documenting grassroots efforts to strengthen and nourish communities.
Hungry Heartland is led by Tom Hallaq, A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication; Shreepad Joglekar, Department of Art; and Valerie Padilla Carroll, English Department and the KSU Engaged Stories Lab. This latest documentary was supported by a grant through the Chapman Center for Rural Studies.
The project seeks to inform the public about food deserts and other barriers to food access — including the social and economic conditions that can make affordable, nutritious food difficult to obtain.
Hungry Heartland also provides students with engaged, experiential learning opportunities by involving them in real-world journalism, documentary production, research and art. The work is designed not only to inform audiences but also to encourage discussion and contribute to positive social change.
By preserving the experiences of individuals and organizations confronting food insecurity, Hungry Heartland creates a visual record of resilience in Kansas communities while challenging common stereotypes about who experiences food insecurity and why.
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For more information about the project, visit www.hungryheartland.com.
