Through an unusual role-play, participants learned how hunger affects 60% of the world and discussed how to create hope.
If you’re a BYU student who works on campus, then you likely make somewhere between 9 to 30 dollars in a single hour—which is more than many people around the world make in a full day. To help raise awareness about issues of global poverty and inequality, the Kennedy Center held their 33rd annual Hunger Banquet on February 23, 2024. Students for International Development (SID) put on the event and focused on the theme of “sustainable hope.” SID Copresident Scott Sawaya (Economics ’25) kicked off the night by saying, “It is our goal that you will be able to not only think about the various inequalities and challenges [in the word], but also about opportunities to adjust these issues with a more active understanding of hope.”
At the start of the Hunger Banquet, attendees were randomly assigned a “social class” to participate in. Each social class sat in a different area of the Wilkinson Center Ballroom and enjoyed a different meal representative of what real members of that group might eat. 10% of attendees represented the global upper class (those who make over 64 dollars a day), and they received a catered multi-course meal while seated at tables. 30% of attendees represented the global middle class (those who make an average of 16 dollars a day), and they received a meal from Aloha Plate while seated in chairs. The rest of the attendees—the 60% majority—represented the global lower class (those who make 4 dollars a day or less), and they received a simple meal of tortilla, rice, and beans while seated on blankets on the floor.
All proceeds from Hunger Banquet ticket purchases and donations went to Utah Valley Refugees, an organization that aims to help local refugees become self-reliant. Founder and Executive Director Leonard Bagalwa attended the event as a keynote speaker, and he shared his own personal story of becoming a refugee in Provo after fleeing his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through support and hard work, Bagalwa eventually graduated from UVU and dedicated his time to assisting refugees who may be confronting homelessness and other serious situations that he once experienced here. He said, “Brothers and sisters, don’t ever lose hope. Keep hoping, keep working hard. And Heavenly Father will always be on your side.”
Another keynote speaker also delivered an inspiring message to the audience—international humanitarian specialist Brett McDonald emphasized the scriptural call to “exalt” the poor (in reference to D&C 104:16). He said, “As you consider what your future is, what your story will be. . . I invite you to make a meaningful contribution to enable others to be lifted in power, wealth, rank, and dignity, and to do it with joy and with confidence.”
Throughout the night, attendees were encouraged to discuss with one another their personal thoughts about hope and how they can make an impact within their own lives and communities. Cultural performance groups from inside and outside of BYU, including folk dance group BYU Traditionz and the BYU Balinese percussion orchestra Gamelan Bintang Wahyu, also supplied entertainment through music and dance.
SID Copresident Carson Tufts (Global Supply Chain Management ’24) concluded the Hunger Banquet with an invitation: “I encourage you to think more about [sustainable] hope. How can you, just by smiling at someone, make their day better? How can you, by attending events like this, make the lives of refugees more comfortable and more welcoming here in the United States? At the end of the day, that’s how we can have hope—if we treat each other the way we want to be treated.”
The Kennedy Center, through its various events and efforts, helps students become resources of hope in their communities. Preceding the Hunger Banquet, the Kennedy Center held an opportunity fair for attendees to learn more about various non-profit organizations that support local, national, and international development. Check out some of the organizations that appeared at the fair: The Refuge Utah, Nurturing Nations, 4 A Better Tomorrow, Women of the World, and Coafrica.