The Start of the Hunger Banquet
Magee and Sadowski found out about the America Hunger Banquet through the Oxfam organization.
“We often think that hunger is about too little food and too many people but it is not. It is about power and control of the food supply and how people are deprived of access to a balanced diet through forces that are beyond their control,” Magee says.
Experiencing poverty
42 participants grabbed a ticket assigned to a lower, middle, or upper class status. Those in the upper class were given a table with tablecloth and chair. Middle class were given only a chair. Those in the lower had to sit on the floor. The meal also reflected the different classes.
|
Class
|
Menu
|
|
Upper Class
|
Pasta, sauce, meatballs, broccoli salad, orange/grape juice, and water
|
|
Middle Class
|
Rice, beans, and water
|
|
Lower Class
|
Rice and water without forks and spoons
|
“I just have rice. It isn’t enough,” said lower-income participant, Adrienna Rowe ‘15 says. Even they did not have spoons so they sipped their plates. Some of them tried to get one more plate but they cannot. Because only a small rice plate is for the lower-class. Those in the upper group had pasta and meatballs.
Reminding us of the problem of famine
“It’s the reality,” Tammy Clark ‘13 says. “I feel sad and angry at the same time,” she continued.
Guest speaker, Elaine Livas gave a speech about the poverty and inequality of food distribution. “Many children around the world died now due to the famine they don’t choose,” Livas says.
Sadowski continued, “Through the Hunger Banquet, we’ve felt and learned the reality. But, it’s not final thing. Find yourself educate. I do believe we can change the world.”