November 15th, 6:00 PM
Ballroom B in the Shepherd Union Building
Admission:
Bring a can or package of nonperishable food starting November 1st to the Community Involvement Center (Room
327 of the Shepherd Union Building) for admission to the event. Five
cans / packages of food will get you in at the door. The food will
benefit the Weber Cares food pantry for WSU students in need, and
surplus will go to Catholic Community Services Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank.
Food items currently needed for the Weber Cares food pantry: peanut butter, cereal, boxed meals, soup, noodles, canned chicken, canned fruit, and pudding/jello mixes.
What is a Hunger Banquet?
A Hunger Banquet is a poverty and hunger awareness event, where
participants can experience in a very meaningful way the inequalities
and needs in our society.
The
concept began in 1974 on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, were people
all over the U.S. fasted and donated the money to Oxfam, an
international nonprofit organization that works to find solutions in
ending poverty, hunger, and injustice.
Last
year we had 82 participants and 1,938 pounds of food donated. This
year our goal is 100 participants and 2,500 pounds of food donated.
Please help us reach our goal, so this event can have the greatest
impact possible.
Come find out what it’s like to live with food insecurity. . . And how you can make a difference from our three guest speakers:
World Hunger: Rinda Hayes from Kenya Keys
National Hunger: Lt. Peter and Jan Pemberton from Salvation Army
Local Hunger: Marcie Valdez from CCS Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank
Guests at the event will be randomly assigned to low, middle, or upper classes for their meal, reflecting the actual income ratios of our Ogden community.
The Hunger Banquet food drive is in conjunction with a state-wide food drive. The
Community Involvement Center will award $100 to the campus club or
organization that brings the most participants to the Hunger Banquet,
and $100 to the club or organization that brings in the most pounds of
food during the month of November. So come to help out your club and fight hunger at the same time!
Did you know? Every 5 seconds, a child dies of hunger-related diseases somewhere in the world.
We
often think of hunger as a third-world phenomenon, something that
happens in far-away places. On November 15th, the Hunger Banquet will
teach us just how dire some of those circumstances are in developing
countries around the world. What is less well-known and recognized,
however, is that hunger happens right here in the U.S., in our
neighborhoods and communities. It is a little harder to notice,
however, because we do not see bony bodies or bloated bellies.
Did you know? One in every six Americans is food insecure.
Food
insecurity is an unknown or limited access to adequate food. People
with food insecurity blend in with the rest of us, but they are not
receiving adequate nutrition. They may be buying cheap, more accessible
food that does not provide them with a balanced diet. Food insecurity
negatively affects the intellectual and social development of children,
and the mental and physical health of adults. At the Hunger Banquet we
will also discuss some of these issues, and learn about food insecurity
in the Ogden area.
Did you know? In 2010, there were 14,120 food insecure children in Weber County.
We hope you’ll come participate at the Hunger Banquet, and learn about ways that you can help fight hunger here and around the world.