Hunger Games reveal wealth gap

It’s been said that the best way to understand someone is to walk a mile in their shoes. The students and staff of Calais High School (CHS) successfully demonstrated that point at the third annual Hunger Games, demonstrating that partaking in a meal typical of other socioeconomic tiers provides a better perspective of the lives of fellow community members. The event was held on April 15, with nearly all of the 120 tickets sold before it started.
Upon arriving at the doors of CHS, guests drew colored stones from a bag to randomly select one of six economic tiers. Guests were given the option of throwing in their lot with their companions or sitting individually. Once the stone was drawn, a student wearing attire appropriate to the tier escorted them to their seats.
This year, the wealthiest tier was fed tender steak and skewered shrimp prepared by the culinary students of St. Croix Regional Technical Center. Tier two was granted eggplant parmesan from the Nook and Cranny restaurant, while tier three could choose either chicken parmesan from the New Friendly Restaurant or lasagna from Nino's. Tier four was provided with macaroni and cheese and hotdogs from Karen's Diner, and tier five ate pepperoni pizza from Caesar's. At the bottom tier, disheveled students piled ramen noodles onto the paper plates of guests, each of whom also received a can of Vienna sausages and a bag of chips.
Dominic Gayton, president of the CHS branch of the National Honor Society, provided the welcoming address. "This event has been wildly successful in raising awareness of the dire straits of some of our residents," Gayton said, offering apologies to those who drew stones for poverty row.
Some guests found themselves with meals that were all-too-familiar. Sitting at tier four, the Johnsons were served macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, a meal they eat regularly each week.
Making the best of the situation was definitely a theme for poverty row. Bebe Bernardini mixed her ramen noodle seasoning into a paper cup with water before adding the noodles, saturating them with flavor. Asked if she and her companion, Shirley Ray Coburn, had eaten ramen noodles before, she laughed and said, "We got them here last year, too!" Coburn added that they were planning on picking up fast food afterwards to supplement their dinner, highlighting the dissatisfying quality of the most inexpensive foods.
Also on poverty row, Heather Mawhinney, nutritionist and food service director of Jonesboro Elementary School, pointed out that some guests had been served salads which had gone uneaten. "Even when given nutritious options, people don't always eat them," she said. She added that being seated in the lower tiers came with additional disadvantages, such as being served later and not being able to see the entertainment as well. There was one benefit of being seated at the bottom tier, though: the beverage was bottled water rather than soda or juice filled with corn syrup. Mawhinney said, "At least we're drinking better."
At the wealthiest tier, some guests found themselves in uncommon luxury. "I might get a steak a week, and it's not like this steak. I usually get the kind that you have to marinate for an hour," Anne Scott said. Sitting next to her, Lenny Hanson added, "I'm more of a yellow or white table kind of guy," referring to the third, fourth and fifth tiers. Each of the six guests treated to the meal of the wealthy found it delectable.
This year's Hunger Games raised a total of $1,525, all of which was donated to the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry in Calais. Guests eager to take their chances at next year's event are encouraged to buy their tickets early.