CA 239 hosts Oxfam Hunger Banquet

Students in CA 239 Event Planning and Leadership, in conjunction with CSC Dining Services, hosted the second annual Chadron State College Oxfam Hunger Banquet 6 p.m. Monday in the Student Center Ballroom.
Working to bring awareness about world hunger to communities, Oxfam educates on issues including inequality, discrimination, and unequal access to basic resources.
The banquet was brought to Chadron State by Shaunda French, associate professor of communication and social sciences.
“I participated in the Oxfam Hunger Banquet as a graduate student at the University of Central Missouri,” French said. “This event gives students a sense that food insecurity can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.”
Working alongside French was Wacey Gallegos, 22, senior of Ainsworth. The psychology major helped coordinate the banquet as part of his undergraduate internship while developing a paper on the effects of poverty on neurological and cognitive functions.
The event planning students played a variety of roles throughout the event. While some acted as conversation leaders within the economic class categories, others took on the persona of fictional people, portraying the characteristics of what life is like in high-, middle-, and low-class situations.
Among the approximate 100 guests in attendance was Bruce Carpenter, assistant football coach, his wife Jenny and their three children, all of Chadron.
“It’s a great opportunity to plant a seed and educate our children, giving them early exposure to the real problems that people face,” Jenny Carpenter said.
According to the United States Census Bureau, poverty accounts for 18.8 percent of Dawes County residents.
Pastor Ann Sundberg of Immanuel Lutheran Church was the featured guest speaker for the evening. During her presentation she spoke of the harsh realities that many people in our own community face. She ended her talk by encouraging the audience do their part by donating to the multiple food pantries in town that offer resources to people in need.
“It was a huge contrast from my experience last year,” Jim Margetts, dean of liberal arts, said. “Last year I was in the low-income group and I was envious in the people in this position, in high-class. This year sitting in their spot (high-class) I’m embarrassed. It really made it real experiencing both extremes.”
The three deans have funds that are available for students and faculty who are interested in hands-on learning, Margetts said. Students and faculty have to apply for those funds, but for the second year the deans decided to help fund the Oxfam Banquet.

“We usually make a decision to give funding partially based on how many people will be impacted,” Margetts said. “We believe this is a powerful use of funding. This event brings home something strong to our students.”