At this meal, the focus isn’t on the food.  The Oxfam website states “You may think hunger is about too many people and to little food. That is not the case. Hunger is about power. Its roots lie in inequitable access to resources and opportunities.” This is one of the takeaway points participants leave with after experiencing what’s known as a Hunger Banquet.

At a Hunger Banquet, the meal you eat is determined by luck of the draw. While some sit on high tables and dine on a complete meal, the majority are required to sit on the floor and get only rice and water. This interactive event is intended to draw attention to the statistics of poverty and prosperity, and to put into perspective how many people in the world are born into hunger.

The concept of Hunger Banquets  was created by Oxfam, an international confederation of 17 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries. Oxfam is determined to change the world by getting people invested in the fight against poverty, and works to find practical, innovative ways for folks to learn and thrive. Hunger Banquets are a great way to do this, as they make what most don’t see in their everyday lives- the realities of not having enough to eat- very obvious and poignant.

On Nov. 23, Professor Jim Scheibel’s Introduction to the NonprofitManagment class threw their own Hunger Banquet, which was open to all Hamline students, staff, and faculty. Senior Julia Albrecht, one of the banquet planners, said “The awesome aspect of Hamline’s nonprofit program is that you are surrounded by motivated people who have a genuine desire to find solutions to societal problems. When there’s a project that aligns with that value, it’s really a great opportunity for us.”

Members of the Hamline community spent the afternoon learning, experiencing, and working to right the wrong of global poverty and injustice. Guests randomly drew tickets that assigned them a name, a story, and a specific income level, which was based on the number of people living in poverty. For example, your character ticket might read “My name is Luisa. I live in Peru. I am a member of the Machiguenga people who have hunted and fished here for thousands of years. The land around my community is being exploited by an oil company. I live off of the river and the forest, and I cannot survive if they are destroyed.”

Albrecht said that reading the stories reminded her that “We are so privileged in so many ways…It’s crucial to be able to see the world through a different lens. Events like the Hunger Banquet push us to remove ourselves from our everyday, privileged lives and step into someone else’s shoes who may not have the same benefits we do.”

“This event isn’t created to make you feel bad, it’s an experience that smacks you in the face with a dose of reality, educates you and leaves the participant feeling empowered, with new tools to branch out and effectively make a difference. It doesn’t get more real than that,” Albrecht said.

After the banquet, not every guest left with a full stomach, but all gained a greater perspective on the root causes of hunger and poverty and, hopefully, felt motivated to do something to help.