When I bought a ticket for my first Oxfam Hunger Banquet I had no idea of the powerful experience that awaited me.
 
Upon arrival, I traded in my ticket for a red nametag, which indicated that I was to sit in the "middle class" section of the room.  As each member of the community came in, they were assigned a section in which to sit.  It soon became apparent that only a few people were in the "upper class" and more than half the room was concentrated around the tables that had not been set.  The MC of the banquet began giving statistics about hunger around the world and explained that the way we were seated was reflective of the population of the United States.  He explained that if they had chosen to reflect  the population of the world, the "middle class" would all be moved to the "lower class", and many of the "lower class" would be moved to the floor where they would not eat at all. As for the "upper class", it too would shrink and their flatware would be "trimmed with gold". 
 
As the meal was served, I talked to people around me and ate my spaghetti and meatball dinner.  The MC periodically interrupted conversation as he called out  names of people, asking them to stand as he read their stories.  One of the people called was sitting across the table from me.  The MC told the story of how “Joe Brier” had hurt his leg while sled riding with his two children, had developed a serious infection and was hospitalized.  The insurance his company carried could only cover 15% of his medical expenses.  Joe’s unemployment check and his wife’s job at a daycare were not enough to make ends meet.  Joe and his family (represented by others sitting at my table, including one of my professors with a name tag reading “little Joey” ) were asked to set down their plates and move to the soup line set up at the back of the room.  In total, six stories were read, each demonstrating how the class lines can be shattered with one small incident.
 
Oxfam hunger banquets are hosted around the world, at high schools, colleges, community centers and faith-based organizations. Since that first Banquet, I have attended many more and worked with groups to organize and plan them. By organizing a banquet, students learn a host of skills and partner with many community members. Here are a few suggestions of ways to involve people and learn together:
 • Invite a middle school art class to design the posters and tickets.  This can address academic state standard 9.1.8.E--" Communicate a unifying theme or point of view through the production of the works of arts."
• Invite local restaurants or catering agencies to donate food and/or staff to help serve the meals.  Volunteers could include your school's cafeteria or your vocational school's restaurant/hotel track
• Invite volunteers or employees of area shelters or food kitchens to give firsthand information about the state of hunger in your community.
• Invite the high school media club or radio station to set up the sound system. 
• If you have a local radio station, they may want to send a reporter to do a live feed (no pun intended) of the banquet.
• Ask teachers in the English department if they would like to have their students write press releases, other publicity materials, letters of invitation and media-rich scripts for the MC.  This can address academic state standards 1.4.11.C--"write persuasive pieces", 1.5.11.B-- "write using well-developed content appropriate of the topic", 1.5.11.F-- "edit writing using the conventions of language", and 1.6.11.F-- "create multi-media presentation for display".
• Family and consumer science classes can provide informational handouts and parts of the presentations while addressing academic state standard 11.1.12.C-- "analyze the relationship among factors affecting consumer housing decisions" and 11.1.12.G-- "compare availability, costs and benefits of accessing public, nonpublic and for-profit services to assist the family".

For more information about hosting an Oxfam hunger banquet visit:
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/advocacy/art1079.html.  This site also includes information on how to start researching the issue, timelines for planning and many other pieces of helpful information.  Here is a excerpt from the “Hunger Banquet Planning Kit” that may help you frame your ideas:
 
"The idea is to create a dramatic, interactive event that enables participants to experience the extent of global poverty, the degree of inequality in the world, and the interconnectedness of the three income tiers. Your Hunger Banquet should also demonstrate ways in which poor people are taking action to improve their lives....From this fundamental interconnection stems the hope that through education and action people can help to create a more just distribution of the world’s resources. People should leave with not only a greater understanding of poverty, but also specific actions they can take to help, such as making a financial contribution, joining an Oxfam campus group or organizing a future event.

"Your Hunger Banquet should not lose its local distinctiveness. In other words, plan an event that will resonate with your audience -- your school, place of worship, or community group -- by taking into account people’s experiences, values and environment. A Hunger Banquet for 200 college students will look different from one in a church or elementary school."