Today, students will arrive at the UF Hillel for dinner. But if all goes according to plan, most will leave with nearly empty stomachs.
One year after its first Hunger Banquet, the UF chapter of the international nonprofit group One will host A Taste of Poverty to recreate the global issue on a smaller scale at 6 p.m. today.
When students arrive, they will receive cards with the name of the country they represent. Members of the low-income countries will sit on the floor while everyone else will eat at tables.
Students who represent high-income countries will have food served to them, but others who represent less-wealthy countries will have to serve themselves the food.
About 15 percent of those who attend will receive a meal of pasta, salad and a breadstick; 35 percent will receive a middle-class meal of juice, rice and beans; and 50 percent will receive a low-class meal of a cup of rice only.
“A lot of people are going to come away hungry, but that’s the point,” said Erica Ngoenha, UF chapter treasurer. “You can go back to your dorm or drive to McDonald’s and eat. But for a lot of people, that would be it for them.”
Domonique Worship, UF chapter president, said while most students will return home in a week to a great Thanksgiving dinner, that’s not possible for everyone.
“This is a rare opportunity to get a firsthand look at what it’s like to live with limited resources,” Worship said.
“I hope students can empathize a little more and be excited to help with extreme global poverty.”
Ngoenha said she believes that if students can feel what it’s like to be poor for just a short amount of time, they might be more inclined to help members of the developing world.
“We want to drive home the fact that we’re not only concerned about global poverty, but poverty in our own community, too,” she said.
