The Saint Mary's College Student Diversity Board (SDB) will host a Hunger Banquet sometime before Christmas break, but students can begin helping now.
The event is meant to remind students that hunger is a major concern around the world, Kelly Reidenbach, vice president of SDB, said.
On the day of the event, students are asked to donate a meal swipe — one meal at the College's Noble Family Dining Hall — to an organization that provides food for the underprivileged and to participate in an experiment that helps demonstrate the global wage gaps between classes.
Reidenbach said the entire process for participating in the event is very simple.
"It is just like swiping for a meal in the dining hall except the money that would normally go to Sodexo will be donated to an organization that helps fight hunger," she said.
A table will be set up in the Student Center Atrium on the days prior to the event so students can sign up with their identification number.
After donating a meal, students are then encouraged to attend an exercise hosted by SDB instead of going to the dining hall to eat. Students will be divided into different economic classes and each group will be served dinner according to their class, Reidenbach said.
A slide show will be shown and a few professors will give short talks on topics dealing with the event.
"The Hunger Banquet is a great way to provide an opportunity for open discussion as well as an opportunity to educate students and community members and bring awareness of an issue that affects millions of individuals worldwide," Reidenbach said. "Many people do not realize that hunger is not only a world issue, but also an issue in the United States and even the South Bend community."
The Board strives to fulfill one of its main purposes through the event — to provide opportunities for discussion on issues relat[ed] to various socio-economic backgrounds among other topics of diversity, according to Reidenbach.
The Board has been working with Oxfam International, an international relief and development organization that works with colleges to create solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice. The Board received supplies and ideas from the organization to make the event possible.
