The 2016 Hunger Banquet 

Sumaiya Latif, UMES Hospitality and Tourism Management Student

The 2016 Oxfam Hunger Banquet was held on November 15^th, 2016 and was planned and organized by The USG Student Council. The Campus Kitchens Project was also involved as the event required food for individuals with Lower Income, Middle Income and Upper Income. The participants got to spend the evening with members of the community learning, experiencing, and working to right the wrong of global poverty and injustice.

This is the first time I got to experience the Hunger Banquet and I was very surprised. I was overwhelmed by the number of people that came to show their support. In the beginning of the school year, when I found out about the hunger banquet, I immediately wanted to help any way I could because I truly believe no one deserves to go to bed hungry. When I was a teenager, I witnessed hunger with my own eyes. Even though I have never suffered from hunger myself, I have seen little children on the side of the road suffering from hunger. I have seen kids begging for money so they could buy a piece of bread and feed their hungry stomach. I wanted to help those hungry kids in Bangladesh but I couldn’t because I was just Fourteen. When I came to United States, I noticed the same problem but this time things are different. I am not a teenager anymore. I am an adult who cares about the community and the people who live here.

I decided to get involved and that’s also why I decided to serve as the president of Campus Kitchens Project for this school year. Events like The Hunger Banquet are so crucial for our society because it makes a big difference when it comes to informing others about how serious hunger and poverty is. Many people know that hunger exists in our community but they don’t know how badly it affects individuals. I truly believe a lot of the people who came to this event learned a lot as it was an interactive experience designed to raise awareness about poverty in a fun and enlightening way. It was an honor to be a part of such an amazing event and I am sure a lot of the other attendees can say the same.