Forty percent of the people on our planet—more than 2.5 billion—now live in poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2 a day. More people die from hunger each year than from AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. Help your school and community become more aware of the affects of hunger by hosting an OXFAM Hunger Banquet.

Few experiences bring to life the inequalities in our world more powerfully than an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® event. Organizers and participants alike can experience firsthand how our decisions affect others in the world.

Here’s how it works: Guests draw tickets at random that assign them each to either a high-, middle-, or low-income tier–based on the latest statistics about the number of people living in poverty. Each income level receives a corresponding meal: the 15 percent in the high-income tier are served a sumptuous meal; the 35 percent in the middle-income section eat a simple meal of rice and beans; and the 50 percent in the low-income tier help themselves to small portions of rice and water. Guests can also assume characterizations that describe the situation of a specific person at the income level to which they’ve been assigned. Finally, all guests are invited to share their thoughts after the meal.

After an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® event, few participants leave with full stomachs, but all possess a greater understanding of the problems of hunger and poverty–and will feel motivated to do something about it. Learn more about how we’re fighting hunger.

You can learn more about hosting a Hunger Banquet by visiting Oxfam’s website: http://actfast.oxfamamerica.org/index.php/events/banquet This website includes a very detailed instructional toolkit that will walk you through the necessary steps for planning, promoting and facilitating a hunger banquet.

---

Heifer International – Service Learning and Fundraising Projects. Heifer’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. With gifts of livestock and training, we help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. NSLC Alumni have helped raise hundreds of dollars for Heifer International and have successful sent cows and other livestock to those in need. Check out the Heifer International website: http://www.heifer.org, and also review their fundraising ideas: http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.201458/

The United Nations World Food Program is the world’s largest humanitarian agency. They fight hunger worldwide, delivering food wherever and whenever it is needed most. In 2010, WFP aims to feed more than 90 million people in 73 countries. The WFP is completely reliant on voluntary donations. Check out the Friends of the World Food Program/World Food Program USA at http://usa.wfp.org/ to learn how to get more involved.