Although most banquets take pride in wining-and-dining their guests, Bennion Center volunteers were glad most people left the Union Saltair Room with an empty stomach last night.
The Bennion Community Service Center’s annual Hunger Banquet acted as an eye-opening metaphor, bringing the statistics of world hunger to a more personal level.
As guests filed in, they were presented with a card that appropriated them to one of three income levels: high, middle or low. Those with high-income cards were seated at nicely-set tables and served a three-course meal. Middle-income guests sat crowded together on long tables and served themselves their meal of rice and beans.
The majority of guests were low-income. They were forced to sit on the floor and lined up for their meal of rice and water. The final shock came as low-income guests realized they were not provided with utensils and proceeded to eat their meager dinner with their fingers.
“Eating the rice with my hands helped put it into perspective,” said Samuel Thomas, a junior majoring in Russian. “I wish I had washed my hands before I came.”
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker kicked off the night with a short speech revealing statistics about poverty and hunger. According to Becker, every 2.9 seconds a child dies of hunger, amounting to 30,000 people dying per day around the globe.
The mayor encouraged people to become involved in fighting hunger at the political level by lobbying local and federal legislatures.
Becker brought the issue of global hunger to the state level, stating that 18 percent of the Utah population lives in poverty. Utah’s poverty level is higher than the national average of 15 percent.
That statistic came as a shock to some guests, who don’t normally see the effects of poverty in Utah.
“I think it’s hidden from our view here,” said Daniel Marsh, a senior majoring in philosophy and gender studies. “Our local values are in stark contrast to the actuality of the poverty rates.”
Jim Pugh, executive director of Utah’s food bank, also addressed the banquet. While Becker asked for political involvement, Pugh encouraged guests to volunteer and donate money in the fight against hunger.
The banquet also featured clips from the documentary Silent Killer: The Unfinished Campaign Against Hunger, supplementing the speeches with haunting images of hunger worldwide.
Every feature of the night was meant to alert the guests of the seriousness of global poverty.
“The banquet helps bring awareness,” said Sheriy Li, social justice coordinator at the Bennion Center. “That’s one of the big issues we’re pushing; you have to learn about these issues before you can do anything about them.”
Linda Dunn, the center’s director, felt the event was a success. She said the turnout was what they were expecting and felt that the format of the event brought the issues of poverty and hunger directly to the individual level.
“I’m glad this event is part of the U’s Homecoming Week,” Dunn said. “It’s a statement of our values and an event that is important to the campus.”