With the goal of spreading awareness about poverty and hunger worldwide, Baker Serves will host its own Oxfam America Hunger Banquet. The event will be on Wednesday, March 23 in the Long Student Center Dining Hall from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Oxfam Hunger Banquet is a national organization that’s main goal is to spread awareness on this topic and work towards equality for all people’s food availabilities in the future.

The organization recently started a new campaign on social media by encouraging people to use #WillFightForFood.

Freshman Emma Grossner plans to attend the event with some of her friends.

“I think the Oxfam Hunger Banquet will be a great and unique experience,” Grossner said. “It is sure to be an eye-opening event that will allow many to feel extremely thankful and moved for what they’ve received in life.”

Anyone can attend the event. Upon entering each person will be assigned to one of three tiers. Those tiers will represent high, middle and low-income meals. Students will be given food that real people living in those tiers eat on a daily basis.

“It’s hard to grasp the idea of people who live in conditions like those sometimes, and this is something that can give everyone a new perspective on what it’s like to actually be truly hungry,” sophomore Adam Downing said.

While students are eating their meals, they will get the opportunity to listen to several different guest speakers who will discuss true stories of people in the United States living in poverty.

Speakers will also visit guests in each of their assigned tiers and have guided conversations with them about what life is really like for people who live in poverty.

“This experience will give people a new perspective of poverty and hunger,” freshman Madison Lutz said.

Lutz is a co-chair of the event and helped Graduate Assistant and Area Coordinator Gabrielle Garrison on the planning. She has also assisted in finding volunteers for the event and has worked with the emcee of the event Associate Dean of Students Teresa Clounch.

The hope is that the Oxfam American Hunger Banquet has an impact on everyone on campus and that it can become an annual event at Baker University. There are also many other opportunities for Baker students to work toward ending hunger on the event’s website, www.oxfamamerica.com.

“Hopefully people will become more aware of these issues and will want to get involved and make a difference,” Lutz said.