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During the week of Nov. 15 through Nov. 18, UM-St. Louis held a "Hunger Awareness Week" with a variety of events focusing on the problems with hunger around the world.
All week long informational tables and booths were set up in the Millennium Student Center, providing students with literature about local, national and international hunger.
The events during the week were co-sponsored by Interfaith Campus Ministries, the Office of Student Life, University Program Board, Student Government Association, Residential Life, Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association, Alpha Phi Omega, Chartwells and Oxfam.
On Monday, Nov. 15, and Tuesday, Nov. 16, students had the opportunity to participate in soup lines in the Nosh and give donations to hunger relief organizations.
Students received a bowl of soup and bread provided by Chartwells for a $2 donation.
Bobby Wassel, campus minister for the Catholic Newman Center, described how many students seemed to take an interest in this problem and how more students attended the soup lines compared to previous years.
"The soup lines were really successful. We raised more than $350 for the local and international hunger organizations," Wassel said.
Wassel also said that although UM-St. Louis has held Hunger Awareness Weeks in the past, this was the first year that they held events such as the "Soup Line and Movie Night" held at the Provincial House, giving those who live on campus a chance to become involved.
On Wednesday, Nov. 17, the soup line and movie night was held from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. While students made a donation for a bowl of soup, they also watched the movie "Hidden in America." The film examined hunger related problems and looked at different situations in the United States.
The awareness week ended with a "Hunger Banquet" in the Pilot House on Thursday, Nov. 18, from 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m.
Michelle Albin, senior, communication, shared her thoughts about her past experiences with attending the banquet.
"I think the banquet is an eye-opener on hunger. It makes you thankful for what you got and to think before you throw away half of your sandwich," Albin said.
Participants took part in a role play activity that demonstrated how food is unequally distributed throughout the world.
Kate Drolet, junior, mass communication, opened the event by welcoming everyone to the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet and gave a brief speech about hunger problems with statistics.
"We are here today because 1.2 billion people- about one-fifth of the population, live in poverty. Eight hundred and forty two million of these people suffer from chronic hunger," Drolet said. "Every 2.9 seconds, a child dies from hunger and other preventable causes. That is 30,000 children a day."
Drolet went on to say that participants can join in Oxfam's fight against hunger.
She said that in 31 years, millions of dollars have been raised to support Oxfam's anti-poverty work and that over a million people have participated in a Hunger banquet or have skipped a meal to recognize world hunger.
Participants were asked to draw cards out of a basket which determined the lots that they were placed in. People who received a card with a white sticker were placed into the high-income category and were escorted to a table on the stage. People who got an orange sticker were placed into the middle-income range and were led to two tables in the center of the room. Those with green stickers made up the low-income range and had to find a place on the floor in the middle of the room.
Each person was given a card with short biographies of real people who live in the different income groups. The people in the high-income group represented the 15 percent of the world's population with a per capita income of $9,076 or more. The middle-income group represented the 25 percent of the world's population who between $912 and $9,075 a year. The low-income group represented the majority of the world's population, about 60 percent, who have an average income of less than $911 a year, about $2.50 a day.
"Most of you are from poor countries such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Haiti or Cambodia. Every day is a struggle to meet your family's basic needs. Finding food, water, and shelter can consume your entire day," Drolet said. "For many of you women, it would not be uncommon to have to walk five to ten miles every day to get water, spend several more hours working in the fields, and of course take care of the children."
Those who were placed in the high-income range received a five-course meal consisting of salad, mixed vegetables, rice pilaf, chicken and dessert, while the middle-income group received beans and rice. People in the low-income group had to eat white rice on a cardboard tray, had water to drink and sat on milk crates on the floor.
During the meal preparation, one low-income participant was getting her meal and she asked for a spoon to eat the rice. The server replied, "A spoon? You don't get silverware. You're poor. You have to eat with your fingers."
While everyone was enjoying their meals, a video showed slides on a screen depicting real life hunger situations and people struggling each day to survive.
After people ate their meals, they were asked to take a moment of silence to reflect and share their experiences with the Hunger Banquet.
Jordan Steffen, senior, political science, was placed in the middle-income group and said that he felt that the people in the high-income group had it good compared to the poor people.
"It shows the real gravity and hugeness of the problems with hunger," Steffen said. "It shows the real conditions and how it's not fair."
Jessie Connor, senior, social work, said how she felt guilty and how her experience made her reflect on what she really eats.
Another student from the high-income group, Tim Schmidt, junior, music education, said that he realizes now how food is taken for granted.
"I think about all of the food that we waste on a daily basis," Schmidt said.
The Hunger Awareness Week at UM-St. Louis brought students together to fight against hunger and made them aware of the seriousness with starvation across the world.
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