Page 8 - Visions - Program Preview

Living the G SPEL
Who’s Hungry in Our World?
The king in Sunday’s Gospel tells his servants to invite everyone they meet to the wedding feast he has ready. This table, which is open to all guests, reminds us that every human person has the right to food. The bishops of the Second Vatican Council list food as one of the necessities for living a truly human life (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 26.)
There is plenty of food available in the world. World food production has increased steadily over the past two decades. Farmers provide enough food worldwide to feed 1.5 times the earth’s population (foodfirst.org).
But a lot of food gets eaten
in wealthy countries and not enough gets to countries where food is scarce. An estimated
1.3 billion pounds or about 20 percent of the food produced each year is simply wasted. Often, wars and other conflicts make it impossible to get needed food to people who are starving.
Use the following plan to help you explore with your class the problems of world food distribution.
Distribution Data
Group 1: 15 percent of your class will represent people from developed countries with incomes of $7,000 or more per person per year. The median U.S. income per person is $31,133. (census.gov)
Group 2: 25 percent of your class will represent countries with incomes of $700 to $6,999 per person per year.
Group 3: 60 percent of your class will represent developing countries with annual incomes per person of less than $699.
Setting Up Groups
1. Your teacher will help you determine how the percentages above will be represented in your class. For example, if there are twenty-five students in your class, four, six, and fifteen students would make up the three groups. Your teacher
will give each group different- colored tickets for each group, one for each member. Each student will draw from a hat or bowl to determine their group assignment.
2. Distribute 100 pretzels among your classmates as follows:
● The 15 percent group will share 50 pretzels.
● The 25 percent group will share 30 pretzels.
● The 60 percent group will share 20 pretzels.
3. While your group eats its pretzels, discuss the fact that
this activity shows how food is distributed throughout the world. Share your feelings about this distribution.
A table is where people meet to make decisions—in neighborhoods, nations, and the global
community. Many
people have
no place at the table. Their voices and needs are dismissed.
A table is where people come together for food. For many there is not enough food—in some cases, no table at all.
6 • Visions Lesson 4