At first glance, this might look like just a fancy dinner. But a closer look proves this party has a purpose.
“A hunger banquet in and of itself is supposed to be kind of a poverty simulation,” Hannah Stansbury, president of the BYU Fight Malnutrition Club, said.
Some guests sipped drinks and enjoyed a full meal. Just a few feet away, others sat on cardboard eating nothing but rice.
“I just hope people go home and look at their community and say ‘How can I help?’” Stansbury said.
This year, the banquet raised funds for the Kaiizen Foundation, a nonprofit humanitarian organization.
BYU alumnus Josh Brazier founded the Kaiizen Foundation more than twenty years ago. Since then, Kaiizen has been leading service trips and providing care to communities around the world.
“I felt motivated to keep trying, keep doing things, because eventually that difference will be larger than what it feels like right now by just doing the small things,” hunger banquet attendee, Eternity Stovall, said.
Organizers hoped attendees left the event not only with a new perspective, but also with a desire to contribute to their communities and the world.