The week began with a 30-Hour fast from Sunday morning to Monday evening. Many students participated in the fast to recognize the hunger of people around the world. On Tuesday, former UN worker Norma Singupta, founder of "Soup at School" in South Africa, presented a brown-bag lunch discussion on issues of hunger in that country.
Tuesday evening, HAVOC presented a vegetarian dinner, complete with information on how vegetarianism can protect the environment and promote sustainability, as well as screenings of short films by Oxfam International on global hunger.
Wednesday's event was the hunger banquet, an event designed by Oxfam International to simulate the distribution of wealth and resources around the world. Guests picked up a card when they entered the banquet and were randomly assigned to either the high-income, middle-income or low-income groups. Their different eating accommodations and the food they were served displayed the vast inequalities in living conditions and food availability among people around the world.
On Thursday, HAVOC sponsored a panel on the relationship between globalization and hunger featuring Hamilton professor of government Carol Drogus, Sheila McCarthy of the Hunger Action Network and Xiomara Castro of Global Exchange.
Drogus discussed the theoretical perspective of global hunger, and pointed out that famine is not a result of a global food shortage, but of inequalities in access and entitlement. In fact, she said, we have a very productive and efficient food production system and it is the distribution system that causes hunger. This was a message echoed by the other two panelists. McCarthy, of the non-profit group Hunger Action Network New York State (www.hungeractionnys.org), talked about her group's efforts to eliminate hunger in New York State through changes in legislation and community food justice programs. Castro, from the international human rights organization Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org), said that corporate globalization endangers more communities than it helps and continues the dynamics of colonial exploitation.
On Friday afternoon, Hunger Awareness week will conclude when students from Hamilton will go to Utica to hear a panel of local community leaders speak about hunger issues in the city and find out what they can do to help. In addition, more than 200 students volunteered to donate the Friday dinner from their meal plans, with the proceeds going to Heifer International.
Other events from the week included Thursday's "No Frills Day" in the dining halls, when all decorative food was removed and replaced with placards bearing statistics about hunger. Throughout the week, HAVOC also had a table in the Beinecke Student Activities Village where students sold fair trade chocolate bars and distributed information about the fair trade movement.
Hunger Awareness week was sponsored and organized by the Hamilton Action Volunteer Outreach Coalition. It was co-sponsored by the Hamilton College Democrats, Kappa Sigma Alpha Sorority, Emerson Literary Society, Ski and Snowboard Guild, Gospel Choir, Alpha Chi Lambda Sorority, Rainbow Alliance, Gospel Choir, Asian Cultural Society and the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.
