A taste of hunger

One in 10 households.

That's how many households in the United States are living with hunger, according to Bread for the World.

And that's just the U.S.

Worldwide, the nonprofit, non-partisan education/advocacy group estimates that 852 million people go hungry.

On Monday, Southeast Missouri residents will get a taste of the situation.

The Faces of Hunger, an experiential learning program focusing on hunger, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Southeast Missouri State University's ballroom with guest speakers that include Max Finberg, director of the Alliance to End Hunger, and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, who also serves on the board of Bread for the World.

Bread for the World regional organization Mariah Priggen said the organization focuses on grass-roots education and also lobbying members of the U.S. Congress about hunger and poverty issues, both in this country and internationally.

Priggen said Monday night's hunger banquet at Southeast will give participants an opportunity to glimpse what it might be like to live in developing country.

"We hope people will have an experience of the inequalities in the world and come away with some sense that those who are concerned can participate in changing them," said Priggen.

Dr. Anne B. Marietta, an instructor in the Department of Human Environmental Studies at Southeast, and the Rev. Scott Moon with Grace United Methodist Church are helping coordinate the event in Cape Girardeau.

Marietta said the idea for the local banquet came after she and Moon met with Priggen to discuss hunger issues.

Tickets for the event -- $3 for students and $7 for anyone else -- are available at the university bookstore. Each ticket gives a description of a person and tells what country they're from. That information will be used at the banquet to give participants an idea of what inequalities exist.

Marietta said any money raised will be donated to local food pantries.

"It's really about increased awareness of world hunger and domestic hunger," she said.

cmiller@semissourian.com

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