University students traded an all-you-can-eat meal in the dining halls for a bowl of rice and dirty water Wednesday night at the Oxfam Hunger Banquet.
The banquet, hosted by the student-run group Kitchens on the Geaux, aimed to give attendees the experience of life on the poverty line.
As the 94 participants filed into the banquet, they were each assigned an income level.
Those placed in the lower income level sat on newspapers on the ground and were served rice and water with coffee grounds in it to resemble the dirty water many in poverty are forced to drink.
The middle class ate red beans and rice with clean water and were allowed to have multiple servings.
The upper class sat at fully set tables and had servers bring them out plates of lasagna and cake with clean water and juice available.
All of the participants were asked to fast for 12 hours before attending to give them the full experience of living in hunger. When mass communication senior and program director for Kitchens on the Geaux Tran Tran opened the floor for participants to speak about their experience, one participant said he was extremely hungry after eating only rice.
He said as he was sitting on the floor, he was constantly eyeing the upper income food and wished he could steal some.
Another participant shared the story of how he was hurt and missed work. The loss of income led him to use local food banks to feed his family, he said. He encouraged the participants to support the food banks around Baton Rouge and treat the poor and hungry with kindness and compassion.
Representatives from local food banks also spoke to the crowd, encouraging volunteerism as well as financial donations.
Pamela Monroe of the University’s School of Social Work informed the participants that 24 percent of Baton Rouge residents live in poverty.
Although many in poverty receive government assistance with food stamps, they are still unable to make ends meet, she said.
Monroe said students may get caught up with their lives and not realize that in neighborhoods only miles from campus, many are suffering with hunger.
“I look at hunger in the face every day,” she said.
Mechanical engineering senior and president of Kitchens on the Geaux Scott Burke said he started the group because growing up in Baton Rouge, he knew children whose only meal came from school.
Burke said the banquet was designed to raise awareness, show available resources and encourage students to help.
“I feel, personally, everybody who came here was touched in some way,” he said.
Accounting sophomore Tim Wilson said he was able to realize how little some people eat. He said he didn’t fast for the event, but left moderately hungry after eating only rice.
Wilson picked up a few brochures from the local food banquets and said he will possibly volunteer in the future.

Gallery • 6 Photos

Grace Steinhauser

LSU students and families from around Baton Rouge were randomly selected to live like an Upper Class person at the 2013 Oxfam Hunger Banquet Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 in the Student Union. The Upper Class was served a three course meal consisting of a side salad, pasta, and cake.