Oxfam Hunger Banquet

The Oxfam Hunger Banquet kicked off on Monday in the Student Center. The event, hosted by the CA 239 Event Planning and Leadership course, brought the rising issue of world hunger to light.
“The purpose of the event is to show how one in nine people go to bed hungry,” Shaunda French-Collins, associate professor of Communication and Social Sciences, said. “So, it’s a way to show that poverty knows no race, no gender, and no nationality. It’s sadly, for a lot of people, just the circumstances that you are born into.”
Students were given a slip of paper upon arrival, which directed them to different areas of the room. On one side of the room, students, faculty and community members sat at tables covered with cloths, silverware, and glasses. Few were considered the high-income class. The middle of the room, lined with tables without cloths, silverware or glasses, housed the middle-income class. The rest of the people attending the event sat on the floor in circles, and were considered the low-income class.
Students were also encouraged to bring non-perishable donations for the Emanuel Lutheran Church Shepard’s Pantry.
“We purposefully do this event early to mid-November just because it is that time of year, with the holiday’s coming around,” French Collins said.
Those who attended the event were served food in order of their social standing. The high-income class were served first, with a salad, ice water and tea. After about 10 minutes, the middle-income class had to stand and get their food, rice, and beans. The low-income class was the last to receive their food, a bowl of rice, and a cup of water.
“The goal of the students is to help the people in their lives, and let people see how truly fortunate we are,” French-Collins said. “Even those who say they have $20 in their bank account until the end of the month, we are still privileged to be a student. I think the point is to be mindful, and get some emotion stirring. We want the high income to feel a sense of guilt to hopefully lead them to action.”
The event yielded a high turnout, with approximately 100 students, faculties, and community members attending. One student who attended the event, Bryce Olsen, 22, senior of Buffalo, South Dakota, said, “I thought that it was a good event, and that it raised a lot of awareness for hunger in our community.”