ETSU held the Oxfam Hunger Banquet sponsored by the Student Social Worker Association on Tuesday, Nov. 16 in the DP Culp University Center Ballroom. At the banquet, 135 people arrived and together raised 400 canned food items and $183. The donations will be sent to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee and Oxfam America.

The Hunger Banquet is an event whose purpose is to raise awareness of hunger and to raise funds for those who suffer from it.

The attendees of the banquet were randomly grouped into “upper-class” (15 percent), the “middle-class” (35 percent) and the “lower-class” (50 percent).

The upper class people enjoyed lasagna and breadsticks on a round table covered with white linen.

The middle class attendees ate rice with beans at a cafeteria table, using plastic utensils.

The lower class group sat on the newspaper that was spread out on the floor, and had only rice and water with brown sugar in it. This symbolizes dirty rice and dirty water.

The idea is to simulate the reality of hunger and to show that the hunger is in a community as well as in the world.

“I feel bad about those people who are living in poor and cannot even afford food to eat,” said biology major Shuang Zhang. “I hope our donations can help the organization solve the hunger and poverty problems in the community. It made me want to participate in the community service.”

“Hunger Banquet is not just about raising funds,” said the director of the project, Travis Lockner. “It is a great opportunity to educate individuals about food insecurities and hunger issues.”

One of his hopes for the event is that participants will be thinking about the experience at Hunger Banquet while they are having Thanksgiving meals and feel thankful for what they have.

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