Students from Dominican and Concordia universities hosted a global Hunger Banquet with a local twist. 

"Our goal is to help people visualize the differences between rich and poor," said Concordia freshman Alex Hitzemann, one of the banquet organizers. "This is not a reach-for-your-wallet event. It is a call to action."

At a Hunger Banquet, originally conceived by Oxfam American, guests are randomly assigned to high- middle- or low-income groups. The 15 percent in the high-income group are served a full meal; the 35 percent in the middle group gets rice and beans, and the 50 percent in the low group receive a half-cup of rice.

At Wednesday's event, the privileged few sat at an elegant table inside Dominican's Social Hall and were served a chicken dinner on china. Middle-class diners had chairs and a buffet line; the poor sat on the floor.

Food for the event was donated by Chartwells, the dining service provider at Dominican, and admission was free. More than 200 people attended.

The event grew out of meetings of students and community leaders initiated by One Chicago One Nation, a group that facilitates interfaith and intercultural cooperation, and in connection with Dominican's partnership with Interfaith Youth Core.

The focus of a traditional hunger banquet is on world hunger but student organizers wanted more.

"We are close to people in need here," Hitzemann said. "We see homeless people on the way to the supermarket. We have a responsibility to our neighbors." 

Matt Palkert, a Dominican University minister, said people of different backgrounds who work together can forge connections. "The idea is to invite people to take action against global and local hunger," he said. "It is also to build relationships."

Meeting students from another university was an "awesome" bonus, Hitzemann added. "We are two small schools, right next to each other. We should connect more."

"This is an interfaith and intergenerational event," said senior Erika Leksan, the service and justice area leader of Dominican University's Student Leaders and Ministers program. "We want to work with community members and people of other faiths to find a common ground, a common basis to combat hunger."

The banquet was Concordia student Alyse Hamel's first visit to the Dominican campus. "This brings the problem of hunger down to our level," she said.

After-dinner speakers Aileen Morrissey, with Feed My Starving Children, and Kathy Russell, executive director of the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry, offered opportunities to pitch in.

At the end of the evening, participants broke into small groups to reflect on their experience.

Dominican freshman Megan Graves helped plan and run the banquet. She is also part of an ongoing "van outreach" program through the school's Student Leaders and Ministers program that provides sandwiches to the  homeless and hungry in Chicago neighborhoods.

Graves hopes participants in the Hunger Banquet "realized that hunger isn't just far away. It stares us right in the face."