Some feasted on meat, others dined on red beans and some ate only rice.More than 50 students attended the University’s first annual Hunger Banquet on Monday in the Union Cotillion Ballroom expecting a full meal. But to raise awareness of chronic worldwide hunger, students were split into groups and rationed food to represent distribution among Haiti’s class structure.Guests were divided into upper-class, middle-class and the impoverished. Those in the upper class were served chicken, pasta and a dessert. The middle class dined on red beans and rice, while those representing the impoverished received a single bowl of white rice and a cup of water. The first tables, the “upper-class,” represented 2 percent of Haiti’s population while 54 percent was represented by the back tables. The event’s opening slideshow showed this 54 percent live on as little as $1 per day. Annrose Guarino, associate professor of human nutrition and food, spoke at the event. Guarino, a registered dietitian, presented a slideshow outlining the world hunger issue. Rie Kuplic, disaster science and management junior, created and planned the event with volunteers for two months. “The main goal was to allow students to experience world hunger and see the difference in the amount of food,” said Kuplic. “We wanted to get students out of their comfort zone.”Volunteers assigned each guest a different colored wristband to determine which class group they would be assigned to. Campus Life, Tigers for Haiti and Volunteer LSU collaborated with several other organizations to plan the event. The Hunger Banquet was originally planned as a kickoff event for the Campus Kitchens Initiative. When Campus Kitchens couldn’t find a kitchen to further develop the student organization, Campus Life sponsored the event so planning could continue. Leaders of other organizations helped Kupic’s efforts. Danice Paul, kinesiology senior, spoke at the beginning of the banquet.”This will open up eyes to poverty,” Paul said. —-Contact Leighann Armand at [email protected]