hunger banquet teaches students & guests about world
February 24, 2012
Kayla Schaudt, Staff Writer
Each year, Students Helping to Eliminate Poverty and Hunger (SHEPH) holds their annual fundraiser for the Uganda Project, aptly titled the Hunger Banquet. This year it will be on February 25th at Ames High, and tickets cost $10. SHEPH reserves the cafeteria and spread out burlap coffee bags on the ground for people to sit at, with a small handful of people getting the privilege of sitting in chairs and at tables.
This arrangement displays the dramatic difference between the amount of impoverished people and the number of entitled people in the world. The people at tables are served a full meal, while the people on the ground are given a bowl of rice. Hardly a sufficient meal for the average American, but it represents what most people in the world have to eat each day. It makes sense that residents of the Ames High Community would tend to lose sight of this, since we tend to live comfortably, but the Hunger Banquet is there to put everything in perspective for us.
For the initial entertainment, local bands play, including Jaw Harp Potential and the English department band, Stranger Than Fiction. A silent auction is held, where students of Ames High can offer up skills or items for attendees to bid on, which often include hand-made crafts and exotic gifts. Later, while the audience eats, members of SHEPH at each “table” lead discussions about our lives, how we’re connected to impoverished individuals, and what we can do to help these people. A few speakers come up to talk about their experiences with the World Food Project and the annual trip to Uganda, while explaining how important it is to help less fortunate people.
The Hunger Banquet is truly an event that everyone should attend, both for its entertainment value and the opportunities to learn about the world it offers.
Kayla Schaudt, Staff Writer
Each year, Students Helping to Eliminate Poverty and Hunger (SHEPH) holds their annual fundraiser for the Uganda Project, aptly titled the Hunger Banquet. This year it will be on February 25th at Ames High, and tickets cost $10. SHEPH reserves the cafeteria and spread out burlap coffee bags on the ground for people to sit at, with a small handful of people getting the privilege of sitting in chairs and at tables.
This arrangement displays the dramatic difference between the amount of impoverished people and the number of entitled people in the world. The people at tables are served a full meal, while the people on the ground are given a bowl of rice. Hardly a sufficient meal for the average American, but it represents what most people in the world have to eat each day. It makes sense that residents of the Ames High Community would tend to lose sight of this, since we tend to live comfortably, but the Hunger Banquet is there to put everything in perspective for us.
For the initial entertainment, local bands play, including Jaw Harp Potential and the English department band, Stranger Than Fiction. A silent auction is held, where students of Ames High can offer up skills or items for attendees to bid on, which often include hand-made crafts and exotic gifts. Later, while the audience eats, members of SHEPH at each “table” lead discussions about our lives, how we’re connected to impoverished individuals, and what we can do to help these people. A few speakers come up to talk about their experiences with the World Food Project and the annual trip to Uganda, while explaining how important it is to help less fortunate people.
The Hunger Banquet is truly an event that everyone should attend, both for its entertainment value and the opportunities to learn about the world it offers.