NEW ROCHELLE – Eighth-grade students of The Ursuline School participated in Hunger Banquet 2016 Jan. 9.
The program aims to increase awareness of world hunger and poverty. Approximately 1.2 billion people in the world do not have enough food to eat and live in poverty, according to www.globalissues.org. The program is part of the school’s year-long, eighth-grade, interdisciplinary project, “Finding Solutions To Hunger,” states the school’s website, www.ursulinenewrochelle.org.
The students were randomly assigned to three groups – high income, middle income and low income. They ate meals that spotlighted discrepancies in each income level. The high-income group ate a full-course breakfast, that included eggs, bacon, sausage and juice. They dined at tables covered with linens.
The middle-income group served themselves a large portion of rice, and were given plates and utensils.
The low-income group ate rice, while sitting on the floor in cramped conditions. The students had to serve themselves from a large pot, and received one spoonful each.
After eating breakfast, students shared their thoughts about their experiences with their classmates.
The breakfast was served to emphasize the uneven distribution of food in the world, help students learn the root causes of hunger, and develop a meaningful solution to the problem, according to the school’s website. The project originated from The Ursuline School’s association with iEARN, a network of international educators and students in more than 140 countries, the website states.
