BYU hosted the 34th annual Hunger Banquet, a campus event aimed at helping students understand the growing challenge of food insecurity.
The Utah Food Bank reported that more than 400,000 Utahns are uncertain about where their next meal will come from — a 100,000 person increase since 2023.
This year's Hunger Banquet was uniquely curated to raise awareness about hunger, both locally and abroad.
“This year, we had it focused on food insecurity and hunger,” Aine Mellor, an officer of the Students for International Development Club, said.
Each attendee received a “persona card” that shared the story of a real person, including their income level on a scale of high, middle or low.
“I had Juan. He's middle-income, he's in the Dominican Republic,” Kate Allen, a banquet attendee, said.
Those assigned high-income received a three-course catered meal. Those with middle-income received a simple buffet and ate on their laps.
Nearly half of the attendees were assigned low-income personas. They ate a small meal of plain rice and beans and sat on mats on the floor.
The visualization of food inequality was impactful, Allen said.
“It framed things in a way I hadn't considered before,” she said.
The night included a lecture from Brent Crane, director for the Provo Food and Care Coalition. He gave advice on how individuals can make a difference.
"It's good to know that there are places in our community where we can help, and it's not all about some far away place that we might not ever go,” Mellor said.
Attendees left the event with a new perspective.
"It's all about serving each other and finding ways that we can fill the needs in our own community," Mellor said.
The event’s proceeds went directly to the Provo Food and Care Coalition to meet local needs.
"It's the coolest event on BYU campus, for sure,” Mellor said.