Hunger Banquet

So this post is a bit dated, but I just uploaded the photos from the 17th annual BYU Hunger Banquet. What an awesome event! The purpose is to raise awareness among BYU students about global poverty and wealth inequality--they do a great job! Everyone pays the same ticket price ($7), and then they are randomly selected to be seated in poverty on the floor and eat a meager meal of beans and rice (60%) or to be seated in the middle class chairs and eat pizza (25%) or to be seated in the upper class at a table and eat a 3-course meal (including ice cream for dessert!).

This year I was privileged to be the keynote speaker at the Friday night banquet (it runs two nights) and I was able to speak about the relationship of illiteracy to poverty not only globally and nationally, but right here in our backyard. I thought it went really well as I passionately implored the students present to find a cause they are passionate about and join others to make a difference in the world.

My children (Shaylee and Devin) came with Dennis and I, and they really lucked out because they got to be seated with the upper class. I think they both might have preferred middle class, but definitely not poverty--and I was certainly threatening them that if they didn't eat every bite of their meal, I would make them go feed it to the poor (who were seated on the floor all around us salivating). Anyway, it was a lot of fun and hopefully and eye-opening experience for my children.