Press Release-June 6, 2014 –
PERTH AMBOY – On May 28th, the Jewish Renaissance Foundation (JRF) hosted a Hunger Banquet as the concluding event in honor of Community Action Month at the Moose Lodge No. 1360, in Perth Amboy. The premise of the poverty simulation was to create a dramatic interaction that enabled guests to experience the extent of poverty, the degree of inequality on income distribution, and the interconnectedness of the three income tiers: low, middle, and high.
In opening remarks, co-host, Diane Riley, Director of Advocacy for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey stated, “You may think hunger is about too many people and too little food. That is not the case…Hunger is about power. Its roots lie in inequalities in access to education, job opportunities, housing, asset building and growing wage disparity. The results are the inabilities of families to grow or achieve economic stability.”
As guests arrived, each drew a character ticket that randomly assigned them to the high, middle-, or low-income tier. Each tier reflected the population determined by US Census Bureau Estimate and Distribution of Household Income by Quintile of 2012, and were served a corresponding meal.
Using the distribution statistics for Perth Amboy, the 11 percent in the high-income tier were served a three-course meal. The 43 percent in the middle-income section had to choose two out of three foods consisting of rice, beans and/or chicken. The 47 percent in the low-income received Cup Noodles, with some also receiving a bread roll to symbolize eligibility for financial assistance.
“If you were sitting in low-income, you represented 47 percent of Perth Amboy’s population-20 percent of which fall below the federal poverty threshold”, stated Alexandra Cross, CEO of the JRF. “Every day is a struggle to meet your family’s basic needs. Figuring out a way to pay for rent, utilities, and transportation can consume your day. After paying for these, there is little left for food. Take a moment to look around you now. As you read your character card, imagine what it’s like to live in that person’s shoes.”
The Hunger Banquet also demonstrated actionable ways in which one can improve the lives within their communities. Such reactions expressed by our guests not only shared a greater understanding of poverty, but also identified plans of action/next steps they can take to help, such as organizing a future event.
A group of four students from the Student Training and Enrichment Program for Urban Progress (STEP UP) took such action and are currently organizing a food drive and video poverty campaign for their school, Academy for Urban Leadership.
“We wanted to close Community Action Month with an event that would make poverty real and raise awareness about Perth Amboy’s statistics to motivate others, to act and make a difference. I am grateful and proud of the work produced by the Hunger Banquet Steering Committee, our JRF staff, and our AmeriCorps members for making this an impactful evening,” said Alexandra Cross.
Special thanks to the Moose Lodge, No. 1360, for sponsoring the venue, Seabra’s Armory and Bonao’s Restaurant for their generosity in providing the food for high and middle income tier groups, Luz Ramirez, for the personal donation of water bottles, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill, in providing the serveware for our high income tables.
For more information about this event, please contact our office at (732) 324-2114 x 128 or by email at lisette.lebron@jrf-americorps.org
