News > October 16, 2008

By R. Hunter Bratton | Staff writer

The Hunger Banquet, a feast that supporters hope will reveal the unwarranted global distribution of food, is scheduled to occur on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Co-sponsored by the Volunteer Service Corps and Amnesty International, the banquet will be open to all students and free of charge. “The purpose of the Hunger Banquet is to demonstrate the extent of world hunger in today’s society,” senior Jordan Matevich, co-chair of the VSC, said. Upon arrival attendees will be divided into three income levels: high-income, middle-income and low-income as concluded by the World Bank’s worldwide income indicators.

To keep track of their income level, attendants will be issued a ticket.

Fifty percent of ticket holders will belong to the sector of the world that is considered low-income.

These students will represent the three billion human beings who subsist on less than $2 a day.

Similarly, about 35 percent of students will be assigned to the middle-income group, while 15 percent will be selected to represent the percentage of society’s high-income elite.

Amnesty International and VSC plan on divvying the types and amounts of sustenance among students depending on their designated income level.

Some may be asked to sit in different areas as a symbol of the injustices incurred by global hunger.

Half of the children of five years or less in South Asia are malnourished while one third of children of the same age are malnourished in sub-Sahara Africa.

Furthermore, every 3.6 seconds someone will die because of starvation.

“We hope that the experience of attending the Hunger Banquet and seeing what a large percentage of people are low-income will raise awareness and consciousness of global hunger and poverty issues,” Matevich said.

The Hunger Banquet is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 in the Autumn Room in Reynolda Hall and last for approximately 90 minutes. All food will be provided by Roy Biggers, manager of ARAMARK on campus, who has decided to wave all room setup and other expenses for the event.

Matevich, along with senior Devin Covens, co-chair of VSC, and senior Jeff Beck, president of Amnesty International, have requested that those interested in attending the event e-mail the VSC in advance at volunteer@wfu.edu.

Additionally, information concerning the feast may be received via text message.

Simply send “HUNGER” to 39649 to receive information. VSC will be sending out reminders via text message to those interested in attending.