Students will experience firsthand how hunger affects the homeless and other residents of Los Angeles and the global community Wednesday night at the third annual Hunger Banquet at UCLA, cosponsored by the Social Justice Alliance and the Hunger Project.
According to Oxfam America’s Web site, an international relief organization that also assists students across the country in planning events like hunger banquets, more than 850 million people suffer from chronic hunger.
The banquet will help students understand the global effect of the worldwide food inequality as illustrated by the distribution of their own meals.
When students arrive at the banquet they will randomly be assigned an economic position or a life story that corresponds with the meal they will receive.
Of the attendees, 15 percent will be high income, 35 percent middle income and 50 percent low income.
The high income group will receive a three-course meal, the middle group will be given rice and beans, and the largest group will be seated on the floor with a small portion of rice and water.
Students are encouraged to fast the day of the banquet so the meal they receive is more meaningful.
“The cool thing about the banquet is that it gives a visual representation of how food is distributed around the world. … Sitting there (on the floor), you can see how many more people suffer from hunger,” said Hillary Smith, a member of the Social Justice Alliance and master of ceremonies for the event.
There will also be a presentation and two speakers, the CEO of People Assisting the Homeless and a representative from Oxfam America, to give students a local and global perspective on hunger issues from an activist’s perspective.
“Education is the first step in changing anything, so it’s important for people to learn about the issues and why things are a certain way. … That’s sort of the goal of the event,” said Diana Ionescu, a member of the Social Justice Alliance and a coordinator of the event.
Student groups will also be tabling during the event, and coordinators of the event said they hope the experience will encourage students to get involved in local projects to help alleviate hunger in Los Angeles, to know the various laws that impact the homeless, and to write letters and call local representatives.
“I think the issue is an important one, because the event focuses a lot on the Los Angeles community and what kinds of issues in terms of food distribution are affecting L.A. … Lots of times students like us living in Westwood may not be able to see the complete picture of what’s going on in our city,” said Mohammad Tajsar, a fourth-year English and comparative literature student who plans on attending the banquet.
Oxfam America has been supporting events like the hunger banquet since 1974, when more than 250,000 people participated in the first Fast for a World Harvest, and each year helps plan thousands of events across the country in order to raise money to fight poverty.
“I hope people that come kind of get a better understanding of how the majority of the world is suffering from poverty and hunger. … Hopefully that will inspire them to help do something to help the world somehow,” Smith said.