KNOXVILLE– University of Tennessee students and staff will participate in a Hunger Banquet at 6 p.m., April 15 at the Black Cultural Center. Sponsors are the Department of University Housing’s Diversity Education Committee and UT Dining Services.
The Hunger Banquet was conceived by Oxfam America, the nation-s oldest and largest anti-hunger movement, which educates Americans about inadequate food distribution and hunger.
At the banquet, participants will draw tickets randomly assigning them to the high, middle, or low-income tier as determined by World Development Report statistics. The 15 percent in the high-income tier will be served a gourmet meal. The 30 percent in the middle-income section will eat a simple meal of rice and chicken. The 55 percent in the low-income tier will wait in line for small portions of beans and rice.
-At any given moment, there are 840 million people in the world suffering from hunger, and every day 30,000 children die of preventable hunger-related illnesses,- says Alexis Lombard, chair of the Diversity Education Committee.
-By participating in the Hunger Banquet, we-re raising students- awareness of these grim realities and motivating them to take action,- she said.
Tickets are $5 per person and will be limited to the first 50 guests.
All proceeds from the Hunger Banquet will be donated to Oxfam America-s hunger and poverty relief programs in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Americas, including the United States.