Photos: Polaris K-12 Hunger Banquet

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Resource teacher Jane Lister pours sparkling grape juice for Polaris freshmen Joshua Bierma, left, and Makena Croghan during a "hunger banquet" at the school on Wednesday, November 25, 2015. The Oxfam-designed program is an interactive exercise designed around world hunger. Bierma and Croghan were randomly assigned to the 20% of participants in the high income bracket, where they were served chicken and pasta, kale salad, rolls and sparkling juice. The 50% of participants in the low income group were served only rice and water and sat on the floor behind, and 30% of students assigned to the middle income group were served rice and beans, and sat at cafeteria-style tables.

Wednesday at Polaris K-12 school, students were divided into the haves and the have-nots. Drawing a card at random, each participant in the "hunger banquet" was assigned an identity, such as a poor farmer from Sierra Leone or the affluent mayor of a Peruvian town.

The food they were served was determined by their economic status. High income individuals were served at a table and were given chicken and pasta, salad, rolls and sparkling grape juice. Middle income individuals were given rice and beans, and low income individuals were given only rice and water and ate on the floor.

The exercise, designed by the non-profit Oxfam, was intended to spark a discussion about world hunger, poverty and food distribution. Led by two sophomores, the students talked about how they felt being assigned to a particular income group, and what they thought they could do to improve their situation or that of others.

If you would like to host your own hunger banquet, the program is free and can be downloaded from Oxfam's website.