Hunger Banquet Demonstrates Power & Food
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| Matthew Dubie and Ross Betti, both 15, savor their small portion of rice. |
NORTH ADAMS — Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger.
Nearly 11 percent of United States households are food insecure and approximately one-third experience moderate to severe hunger. More than 2.5 billion people worldwide live on less than $2 each day.
In the Northern Berkshires, 11 percent of households experience moderate or severe hunger.
These were just some of the facts that students in Bonnie Rennell's honors history class told the dozens of community members and Drury High School classmates gathered at the fourth annual Hunger Banquet on Thursday night.
"You may think hunger is about too many people and too little food," said one of the night's hosts, Stephanie Therrien, 17, during the program's introduction. "That is not the case. Our rich and bountiful planet produces enough food to feed every woman, man and child on earth. Hunger is about power."
Therrien and co-host Christopher Milanesi, 18, explained that hunger is a problem that permeates every inch of a culture.
"[Hunger's] roots lie in inequalities in access to education and resources. The results are illiteracy, poverty, war and the inability of families to grow or buy food," Therrien said.
<L2>The annual benefit aims to achieve the dual goals of raising awareness about global hunger issues while collecting funds for Oxfam International and the Berkshire Food Project. Attendees are placed randomly in sections when they arrive, with the largest level receiving only rice and water for dinner, the mid-level dining on spaghetti and the top-tier indulging in a three-course meal.
"It really makes you appreciative for what you have," said Matthew Dubie, 15, a Drury student who ate rice.
"And, it sucks to eat nothing but rice," said Ross Betti, 15.
Raising Funds for Food
Organized by Rennell's class each year, the hunger banquet donates $100 to Oxfam – an international confederation dedicated to combating poverty and social injustice worldwide – and the balance goes to supporting local efforts.
The Berkshire Food Project, which provides free meals five days a week in the First Congregational Church, is this year's recipient. Rennell estimated that $600 had already been contributed to the project before Thursday and said a final total wasn't yet available.
"Something like this definitely makes you think, especially when you hear the statistics from Berkshire County. It really hits home," said Milanesi.<R3>
For Carol Demayo, the founder of the Williamstown Food Bank and the night's speaker, helping those in the community face a hunger crisis isn't an inconvenience, but an opportunity to change someone's life.
"I get to go to a lot of homes and that allows me to look at the world differently. I get to see close up what is really happening in people's lives," she said.
Recalling the emergency services she's provided and the success stories that have made it all seem worthwhile, Demayo told the students gathered at the banquet to take action.
"No one's going to tap you on the shoulder and tell you that you're a rock star. No one's going to tap you on the shoulder and tell you they need you," Demayo said. "But we're tapping you on the shoulder now."
Therrien said the message to help facilitate change was inspiring.
<L4>"Some people go home at night and wonder where their next meal will come from. We should all take away from tonight the knowledge and understanding that we have the power to do something," she said.
Superintendent James E. Montepare applauded Rennell and the students for promoting education on an important issue.
"We just want to foster the idea that people need to help each other. So many things go unseen and unnoticed and our students really need to open their eyes to those who are in need," Montepare said.
As students quickly filtered out of the school cafeteria, Rennell said she hopes everyone who attended the banquet took some value out of its lessons.
"I'm hoping they recognize how privileged they are and develop a social conscience," she said.
