Events

Brookline Girl Scouts would like to invite the members of United Parish Church to join is in a Hunger Banquet on Sunday, March 19, 2023. The event will be held in Willett Hall at United Parish from 12:45pm to 2:30pm. This event will also serve as a collection site for the Brookline Food Pantry. The cost of admission for each person is one non-perishable food item for the Food Pantry.

The Hunger Banquet engages participants in a dramatization of the unequal distribution of resources and wealth in the world. This event is appropriate for 3^rd grade and older. 

Each guest draws a ticket randomly assigning them to the high-, middle- or low-income tier and is served a corresponding meal. The 15 percent in the high-income tier are served a sumptuous gourmet meal at a table with a tablecloth and china. The 30 percent in the middle-income section eat a simple meal of rice and beans at plain tables. The majority 55 percent in the low-income tier waits in line for small portions of rice and water (for some only) and sit on the floor.

The Hunger Banquet is a powerful tool that brings to life the inequalities in our world and challenges us, as the more economically fortunate, to realize how our decisions affect others in the world. It functions much like a theater in the round. Assigned Scouts will read a story about the life of a child somewhere in the world. We also have scripts for adults to show the impact of fair-trade exchange and the issues that can drastically affect someone’s socio-economic class. Hopefully, everyone leaves with a greater understanding of the problems of global hunger and poverty and the motivation to do something about it.

It is critical to have an accurate headcount for planning purposes so please RSVP to Kate H. at hungerbanquetUP2023@gmail.com no later than March 12. For everyone attending, I will need to know the number of adults, the number of children 3^rd grade or older and, for children, their ages.