Stuart Students Enact Experience of World’s Hungry People

Ellen Gilbert

“For some, banquet means lots of food. But for many, the only meal served is hunger. Feast or famine — it’s the luck of the draw.” Taking to heart this dire advisory from Oxfam of America at lunch last Thursday, high school students at the Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart actually drew cards that assigned them to different economic levels, and proceeded to eat accordingly.

Sponsored by the school’s student Outreach Committee, participation in the event was optional, but most girls chose to take part. As a result, some, representing the high-income group, found themselves sitting at tables with plates full of tortillas, beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, corn, salad, fruit, and a delicious churro (a kind of Mexican cruller with sugar and cinnamon) for dessert. Others, representing middle income populations, had rice, beans, and water. The third and poorest group, sat on the floor eating a meager meal of rice and water.

Advised by teacher Doug Green, Stuart’s Outreach Committee focuses on community service opportunities and raising student and community awareness of social issues. Past projects have included a study of Fair Trade, responding to victims of Hurricane Katrina, and raising money for Stuart’s sister school in Peru after it was damaged in an earthquake. This was the second “hunger banquet” held at Stuart; the first was four years ago.

“This is an everyday thing for most people,” commented senior Raines Plambeck, as she ate the rice and beans served to her “middle class” group. Another senior, Kate Baker, addressed the crowded lunchroom at the end of the program. Providing statistics on each group, she noted that, in all, there are 1.2 billion hungry people in the world today, and that 24,000 of them die each day.

The students used international development and relief agency Oxfam America’s model for the Hunger Banquet. “Oxfam” was the original postal abbreviation for the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, which was started in England during World War II to provide relief to war victims in Europe. Since then, Oxfams have been established in 12 countries. Oxfam believes that a lack of food is not the root cause of hunger in the world. The problem, they say, is in the distribution of food, and education, resources, and power.

In addition to empathy for the world’s poor, the spirit of sharing was very much in evidence at Stuart, as girls from the well-fed upper class sorrowfully eyed their hungry classmates in the two lower-income groups, and passed them some of their bounty (especially the churros).

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