MENU
category: Campus News

Carson-Newman Hunger Banquet sheds light on world issues

Carson-Newman freshmen Richard Byers and Sarah Beth Maddox help prepare bowls of rice during Carson-Newman’s Hunger Banquet.

Carson-Newman freshmen Richard Byers and Sarah Beth Maddox help prepare bowls of rice during Carson-Newman’s Hunger Banquet.

(Dec. 4, 2013) – Students at Carson-Newman University recently caught a glimpse of the chasm between the hungry and well-fed. The experience was part of an Oxfam Hunger Banquet held in the fellowship hall of Jefferson City’s First Baptist Church.

Sponsored by C-N’s Community Connections organization, the event sought to expose students to a variety of hunger issues affecting people worldwide.

“It is an embodied, first hand lesson about the issues of food distribution and inequality throughout the world,” said Will Brummett, logistics coordinator for the University’s Bonner Center.

Oxfam, an international confederation dedicated to addressing poverty issues, provides a curriculum that allows groups across the world to participate in the same Hunger Banquet. The event attracted some 40 students who became living examples of the statistical distribution of food worldwide. Sixty percent were given alternate personas of low-income individuals, 30 percent represented middle-income, and only 10 percent enjoyed high-income privileges.

The Carson-Newman banquet showed students the vast discrepancies of food distribution. Most students received only cold rice and water served with no utensils for their feast, while a handful sat down to a three-course dinner.

“Students were challenged by the activity,” Brummett said. He described the students as “engaged and reflective.”

Held in conjunction with National Hunger and Homeless Week, the Carson-Newman Hunger Banquet also provided students the opportunity to donate money or find opportunities to serve their community.

Previous Post

Men’s soccer prepares for first Final Four in program history

Next Post

Video Greeting: Merry Christmas from Carson-Newman University

Related Posts

  • Campus News

    The Princeton Review: Carson-Newman one of the “Best in the South”

    Carson-Newman University is “academically outstanding and well worth consideration in your college search,” according to The Princeton Review in its recent college listings. The organization cited the University in its … Read more

  • Campus News

    Carson-Newman announces third-largest enrollment in University’s history

    This fall, Carson-Newman University celebrates its third-largest enrollment in its 172-year history. The institution reported a total enrollment of 2,735, marking a nearly 6% increase from 2022. “Seeing increase in … Read more

  • Campus News

    C-N professor draws from love of politics, government to craft newly released book

    A newly released book by Dr. Kara Stooksbury draws from the author’s longtime interest in government and politics. “Today’s Civil Rights and Liberties Issues: Democrats and Republicans” published by Bloomsbury … Read more