On March 21, Central College will be hosting the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. A collaboration among the Center for Community-Based Learning, the biology department, the Central College United Nations Association, the Pella School District, Central student organization AWARE and Character Counts Pella, the banquet will draw attention to global hunger.
The Oxfam Hunger Banquet is a community meal that inspires thought and discussion on the issues of hunger and clean water throughout the world. Participants attending the banquet will receive a random seating assignment. Three different meals will be served: a small percentage of diners will receive a generous meal including meat, vegetables and dessert. A slightly larger portion will be served a sufficient, yet modest meal, while the largest percentage will receive rice and beans. The meals represent the world’s access to food, and the percentages are based on the actual global distribution of food.
Oxfam, an international organization, provides education and humanitarian support worldwide. They collaborate with numerous organizations, including the World Food Prize and the United Nations.
“In some ways, it seems easy to isolate ourselves from world hunger living here in central Iowa,” said Cheri Doane, director of community-based learning. “The Oxfam Hunger Banquet is just one way of fostering awareness about issues of which we should be mindful.”
Professor of biology Ellie Du Pre has recruited her students to join the event, as well. Her Epidemiology class is doing service-learning projects related to global health issues, and the students will carry a three-gallon jug of water for a week to use for drinking and bathing, raising awareness and promoting the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. Other biology students are researching hunger and water issues and creating posters to be displayed for the public.
Tapping into the Pella community, classes have also solicited the participation of area restaurants to help with the water campaign. For every glass of water ordered, the patron will receive a card with facts about access to drinking water around the world and will be asked to donate one dollar to the Tap Project, a United Nations global clean water initiative.
The banquet is $5 for adults and free for students who register with a Central ID. The event will take place in the Graham Banquet Hall at 6 p.m.
