 "Photo: Zachari A. Walton")
Approximately 855 million people across the globe are victims of the hunger crisis. The rising cost of food, fuel and the change in the climate are all reasons why 100 million more since 2007 are at risk of not being able to afford the food they need to survive. Rice and wheat have reached 20-year highs. With 40 percent of the world's population living on $2 a day, it is no wonder that the Catholic Newman Center has continued the Hunger Banquet over the last couple years in order to raise awareness concerning the issue.
On Thursday, the Catholic Newman Center held the Hunger Banquet in Century Room C in the Millennium Student Center. The program started promptly at 12:30 p.m. Upon entering the room, the guests were handed a sealed envelope and were instructed not to open it until told to. Meanwhile, the participants were serenaded by Sarah McLachlan's acoustic stylings.
Images of undernourished people played on an overhead projector before the moderators began the event. Bridget Ryder, junior, Spanish and Holly Scheibel, senior, chemistry were the moderators for the event. They educated people on the horror of world hunger; focusing on how easy it would be to change the state of our globe with multi-partisan political and social efforts.
Developing nations often lack the capital, access to information and technology to improve their farming practices.
The U.S. support for agricultural development in these same countries has dwindled to a trickle. As many citizens of these nations struggle to pay for the basic necessities, many of them have to sell their assets including land and animals just to make ends meet. In order to show the participants how the world's wealth is distributed, then Bridget and Holly instructed everyone to open their envelopes.
Of the group, 11 people were "impoverished," six were "middle-income" The two people deemed "high-income" were invited to a round table with fresh lemons, garlic bread and water goblets accompanied by fresh spinach salad. They were asked what kind of dressing they preferred and "servants" poured tea or ice water from the carafes that were set up.
After everyone was situated, they informed everyone of what they would be eating. The impoverished were given rice served on cardboard and dirty water to drink. The middle-income group was a little more fortunate.
They were given lemonade and a rice/bean mixture to eat. The high-income group had a choice of prime rib, chicken Parmesan and a grilled portabella as the main course, and chocolate mousse cake with a cherry glaze for dessert.
The types of food represented the quality of living for a small portion of the world deemed high-income versus the moderate to low income of the majority of the world. "I felt gross and dirty on the floor. It's like, I'm no different than anyone else, so why am I on the floor?" asked Trish Detwiler, junior, accounting. Throughout the demonstration, participants were allowed to move if they were invited to do so by a member of a higher-income group.
"I didn't want to move because the sense of comradery would contempt me for wanting to leave," explained Laura Kent, graduate student, biology.
Many students wondered what they could do to help. The moderators explained that short-term humanitarian belief is an option, which includes volunteering and donations. Long-term development partnerships are more important commitment, which include supporting failing businesses and economies.
The moderators explained that structural change is the key, and the other two means of support suffer greatly without the latter. Ryder closed the event by reminding us of our obligation of duty to society. She explained, "it's important to make people aware of the hunger that exists in the world. Knowledge is power. People can't do anything about it if they don't know."
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