To raise awareness about world hunger, the advocacy group ONE@UVA hosted a “Hunger Banquet” Thursday. Participants were divided into groups and served dinner in portions typical of either first-, second- or third-world nations.
Second-year College student Denise Catbay, president of ONE@UVA, said the organization wanted to give students practical experience with international hunger issues.
“We thought it’d be a different kind of event to present to students how others around the world eat based on their socioeconomic status,” Catbay said in an email. “By sharing the first-, second-, and third-world meals, we can debunk the myths and show the facts that underlie the issue.”
As participants dined, they watched videos, presentations and a performance by spoken word artist Joshua Blackwell, third-year College student, in an effort to encourage attendees to think critically about the problems faced by people living in underdeveloped countries, Catbay said.
“[The diversity of attendees] speaks to how global the issue is,” she said. “The only way to alleviate [the problem of world hunger] is through cooperation of people from all different backgrounds.”