World poverty, social class imbalances and climate change are some of the issues that will be addressed alongside an interactive dining experience at this year’s Annual Hunger Banquet, said University of Idaho Oxfam America Club president Amaya Amigo.
“I want students to feel more connected to their surroundings, and to be aware that there are students trying to make change,” Amigo said. “We’re kind of masked from what’s going on around the planet.”
The banquet, hosted by the UI Oxfam America Club, will start at 7 p.m., Monday in the Student Union Building Ballroom. All UI students and faculty are able to attend, and admission is free.
Upon arrival, Amigo said patrons will draw a card representing the story of an actual person somewhere in the world. The story will dictate what type of meal, and how much of a portion the patron will receive. Amigo also said she plans on speaking during the event, and UI faculty member Sayanti Dasgupta will be featured as a
guest speaker.
Sodexo will donate food for the event, and Amigo said she hopes to receive some financial support from ASUI after a funding hearing she has scheduled with them.
The Oxfam club has 17 members in their international confederation, and Amigo said that on Nov. 17, six other Hunger Banquets are registered to take place elsewhere in the world. While there is a Hunger Banquet “script” that provides an outline of the event, Amigo said she switched the plan up by adding herself and Dasgupta as guest speakers.
“While we’re thinking globally, we are acting locally,” Amigo said.
At UI, Oxfam’s goal is to raise awareness for issues of poverty, hunger and social injustice, as well as raising money for the greater Oxfam America Club.
UI senior Lea Black is one student who joined the club to actively raise awareness for these issues, and she said she is excited for the hunger banquet.
“(The hunger banquet) will open people’s eyes, and hopefully enhance their perspectives on food, security and poverty,” Black said. “It’s easy to forget about when food access and availability is so easy for
students here.”
George Wood Jr. can be reached at [email protected]