The Experiential Dinner raised awareness about global inequalities last Thursday. The dinner was a fundraiser for Denver’s Operation Frontline, a hunger program within Share Our Strength.

The dinner was led by Morgan Taylor, a GSIS student and a major in the International Development Program, and GSIS professor Peter Van Arsdale. The two stated statistics about hunger, poverty, global resources, education, health care and trade.

Participants of the dinner were split up into three groups: high, middle and low income. This simulation was based on how food and resources are distributed throughout the world. Each group received its amount of food and was seated in a setting that represent its income status.

After the meal, some participants shared their impressions of the dinner as well as sharing experiences of witnessing poverty or hunger or experiencing it themselves.

Denver’s Operation Frontline Manager Gail Plemmons spoke after the meal about what Operation Frontline does and mentioned some sad statistics that led her to become involved in this program. These statistics include: 6 million children under the age of five die every day because of hunger only and 12 percent of all Americans live in hunger and over 10 percent of people in Colorado are in risk of malnutrition.

Operation Frontline has 13 different committees in cities across the country. They teach classes in nutrition, marketing skills, cooking and financial literacy for people in low and middle income. The organization offers ways to make good choices and to educate people.

Taylor stated an acronym to help people to remember what to do to help get rid of global inequalities: FAST. F is for fundraise; A for advocate for change; S for shop wisely; T for teach about causes of poverty and hunger and other world inequalities.

The event was sponsored by the Institute for the Study and Advancement of International Development, a student organization within the Graduate School of International Studies. ISAID has just started its first year of operation and has received a small budget from GSIS. This event is ISAID’s first fundraiser and has raised $605 from it as well as additional donation money and three boxes of canned food.

ISAID is open to all students, faculty and staff and “encourages people from other schools [at DU] to get involved,” said Adam Bramm, current executive director of ISAID.

There are 36 members in the organization. They are assigned to different committees and work separately on fundraising for different causes.