Testimonials
The goal for this banquet was to reach people on a personal level about what is going on in the world. The success of this was measured by experiences, and a few people wanted to share what they felt that night.
“I truly enjoyed myself and felt
that the atmosphere [of the banquet] was incredibly conducive to student
awareness. The issues presented were real and I think that the participants
identified with the program. Those involved in the construction and
implementation of the program were very professional and genuinely cared about
the issues. All in all, it was a great night and many, including myself, learned
a great deal about world hunger issues.”
-Taylor Skidmore, U.S. History and Government teacher
“My experience at
the Hunger Banquet was an experience of a
lifetime. Being able to witness and
partake
in only a portion of what people go through everyday was an eye-opener. Things
we [as a society] are petty to theirs. They value having clothes and food
while we take these for granted. I know as a more fortunate society we could do
more to help others who aren’t. It starts with one person who passes it on and
then spreads like wildfire.”
-Felicia Grondin, senior
“It was great to see young people caring enough to participate in such an event. On a personal note, it was amazing to sit in a room and get such a real visual on how much of the world lives on only a few handfuls of rice a day. My initial reaction was an overwhelming sense of guilt but it was followed by an urge to do something about it—eat less, contribute more…something.”
-John Keating, Economics and World History teacher
“The most eye-opening part of the evening, for me at least, was right after
dinner was served. A good-looking boy sitting in the “high income” section, whom
I knew very little about, just sat and stared at [his] dinner plate. I hadn’t
had a chance to try any of the food but it looked and smelled delicious, yet he
looked so confused, almost disgusted. I watched him stare [at his plate] as I
served the rest of the people around him. Eventually, the boy got up, took his
plate, and walked down to the “low income” section of the commons and shared his
food with a few of the people there—nothing more, nothing less. I kind of
giggled and went on doing what I was doing, thinking, “Does he realize how many
people are down there? What is one plate of food going to do?” it became evident
to me that it wasn’t about the plate of food at all. In real life, it could have
saved one person and touched another. That’s all it takes to start something
great, and end something tragic…”
-Michelle McCullough, Senior