Hunger banquet raises awareness
By MYRA McGRIFF
Saint Mary's Editor
Student Diversity Board (SDB) presented their first Hunger Awareness Banquet, showing students how it is to live in first, second and third world countries. For one meal, SDB demonstrated how people from different regions of the world eat a normal dinner.
Students volunteered to participate in the experience not only to support Hunger Awareness week, but also to learn about how people in other counties live.
"I wanted to heighten my awareness of the situation of those around me," said senior Julia Malczynski.
SDB presented students with compelling statistics, such as for every four people in a first world country there are 30 others existing in poverty.
SDB also tried to heighten awareness by placing students in one of three worlds by the luck of the draw. Each of three groups watched each other eat.
Students from the first world representing such countries as United States, Canada and Japan ate a meal, served to them. Their meal consisted of a salad, chicken and vegetables. Some students felt it difficult to eat their meal seeing the third world students eating rice with their hands as they sat on newspaper.
"Rice isn't enough to sustain anyone and seeing them sitting there makes me feel horrible," said Bonnie Arends. "Here in the United States we have enough food but we don't give it to them."
Understanding the causes of hunger around the world touched on the major goal SDB wanted to reach by Hunger Awareness Week. But along with awareness, comes change. The main goal SDB sought is not only understanding the problem of hunger but also making Saint Mary's part of the solution. Planning for this week the Board itself has learned some ways to be a part of the solution.
"I have learned about all of the local outreach we can do," said Akmaral Omarova, SDB president. "We, as a campus need to work on that and look at all the food we waste and what we can do about that."
All News Stories for Thursday, March 22, 2001
