Where Will You Sit? See World Hunger in a New Way

Did you know that in 2010 it was reported that 925 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger every year? Malnutrition is the number one leading cause of child mortality, approximately 1/3 of children under the age of 5. Why do so many people in the world suffer from hunger? In the United States we have enough food to feed the world but many people think that hunger is about having too many people and too little food.  In reality hunger is about power and therefore those who are fortunate eat and those who don’t will not. Its’ roots lie in the inequalities that permit the rich to access resources and opportunities and closes doors to others. Many of the 3^rd world countries do not have access to clean water, but billions of dollars each year are spent on bottled water in the United States alone. Tons of food is wasted in the United States every day.

 On February 21^st, 2013 the Oxfam Hunger Banquet was held in the Allegany Room at Alfred State College.  Everyone that attended was given a different colored ticket. The 1^st world was blue, the 2^nd world was orange and the 3^rd world was white.  Once the tickets were handed out, the groups sat together based on the color. The 1^st world had waiters and was served pork chops, salad, fries, broccoli with cheese and a fruit cup for dessert.  The 2^nd world was served rice and beans. The 3^rd world was served no food at all just water. This banquet provided a whole new meaning to world hunger. It was a very realistic hands-on scenario demonstrating worldwide hunger.  

The Oxfam organization has a campaign called GROW. It brings people together to create solutions for food, fairness, and the future of our planet. It helps to build a better food system that feeds a growing population and empowers poor people to earn a living, feed their families, and thrive. The GROW campaign aims to increase the productivity, self-reliance, and economic prosperity of small scale farmers by increasing their access to resources like water and land.  This ensures fair competition for resources, increases farmers preparedness in the face of natural disasters, modernizes food aid programs so that they are more effective, efficient, and fiscally responsible. These actions improve the response to natural disasters and holds government and businesses accountable for the impacts of their policies/practices on the global food security. Oxfam strives to end poverty and injustice.

Are you ready to change the world, do something meaningful, spread the word, or raise money for world hunger? It’s simple, work online at the Grow web site which is Oxfam.org, or at your local school. One person can have a powerful influence and never underestimate your ability to change the world.