On the Thursday before Thanksgiving in 1974, something remarkable happened. Responding to Oxfam’s call, 250,000 people nationwide participated in the first Oxfam America Fast for a World Harvest. They fasted either for the day or for a meal, raising awareness about hunger and donating their food money to Oxfam, an organization committed to utilizing the power of people against poverty. Thus began a national movement to alleviate hunger and poverty.
Today, when you bring people together at an Oxfam Hunger Banquet, you can become part of this movement. Over the past four decades, more than 875,000 people have attended this event around the country (and even around the world!). If you’ve been looking for ways to make an impact and engage your community, hosting an Oxfam Hunger Banquet is an excellent way to do so!
How does it work? At an Oxfam Hunger Banquet, guests take on the roles of people who are well-fed, hungry, or somewhere in between, randomly drawing tickets that assign them to different income levels. Some receive a filling dinner, while others eat a simple meal or share sparse portions of rice and water. Participants may even take on the roles of real people from around the world to see what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes.
Lucky for you, we’ve done all the gritty work to make hosting an Oxfam Hunger Banquet as easy as possible. Just click the following links to check out the free resources to get you started:
- Find out more about the event on our website.
- Download the Oxfam Hunger Banquet toolkit here, which includes a script and a focus on famines.
- Order free materials (stickers, posters, fact sheets, etc.) here. Our Social Media Suite includes Facebook event banners and social media shareables.
Our top three tips for hosting an Oxfam Hunger Banquet are:
- Invite everyone! Think outside the box as to who you could invite. How about local advocacy groups that you know? Post on your local newpaper’s event calendar or on Eventbrite.
- Promote using social media! Our website includes sample social media posts already written for you. Use #OxfamHungerBanquet so we can see and promote your event, too!
- Encourage your participants to take action. Invite them to bring canned goods for a local food pantry or to text ACTNOW to 97779 to join Oxfam’s community.
No matter what food they’re served, people talk about this event as a deeply moving experience. They leave with a greater understanding of the causes of poverty, hunger, and injustice – and with the tools and knowledge to change it. Good luck, and contact us if you need anything! Our team is here to help.
Oxfam is a global organization working to end the injustice of poverty. They help people build better futures for themselves, hold the powerful accountable, and save lives in disasters. Oxfam’s mission is to tackle the root causes of poverty and create lasting solutions.