Hunger Banquet

This past Thursday the Global Issues Network (GIN) club hosted a Hunger Banquet at our school. The GIN Club is a group of kids at our school that want to make a difference in the world. The club takes certain global issues (i.e. hunger, poverty, child soldiers, lack of clean water, global warming, etc.) and seeks to find an end to these problems facing humanity. Practically speaking, the club raises awareness, fundraises, and serves in ways that bring a positive change to the world. And Todd Martinez and I get to be the sponsors of this club (see us below).

Last year, the club decided that we wanted to start off the year with a Hunger Banquet. The main goal is to raise money and awareness for hunger and poverty in the world. We sold tickets in advance and at the door, and when participants walked into our event they were given a new ticket that told them that they were either in low income, middle income, or high income. If you got a high income ticket you were 10% of the population and you ate a great meal:
If you got a low income ticket, which over 60% of participants did, you sat a basic white table and just ate a bowl of rice.
These were two of our waiters for the high income table. So funny.
Some of the GIN club kids. Many had left by this point, but these were some of the volunteers for the night.
Our three student Event Coordinators.
The Hunger Banquet was a way to give people a somewhat real life experience of what hunger is like in the world. Many of the people that just ate rice were begging us for more food or trying to steal some from the middle or high income groups. And many people went across the street right after the event (sorry the picture is dark) to eat kimbap (think Korea's version of fast food) and I went to McDonald's.
But while I was eating my cheeseburger I couldn't help reflect on the fact that for over 60% of the world they eat a bowl of rice and that's it. There is no kimbap. There is no going to McDonald's.

How should we respond to such inequalities in the world?