Including both the American novel and film, The Hunger Games franchise acquired over one billion dollars world wide; additionally making history having had the third-best motion picture debut of all time.
As a result of an increase in technology, audiences now have a penchant for viewing a movie before acknowledging the existence of the book. Thus, among the many reasons why the film has been such a success are its use of novice performers as main characters, it’s unique and colorful scenery and costume, and most importantly, the crux of its storyline: oppression.
In the film, a North American society ruined by an unexplained apocalyptic event has created an annual ‘sweepstake’ known as The Hunger Games, in which two youths ranging from age twelve to eighteen, are chosen to compete in a conjuncture of carnage, where they are forced to fight to the death.
Whoever should persevere in the competition not only receives shelter, acclaim, and considerable wealth for themselves and their family, but above all, they receive food dispersed monthly for the people of the district in which they reside.
While blatantly withholding a necessity such as food from a population is considered immoral, one has to question how viewers do not spot a correlation between the Hunger Games film, and the real world hunger games of today. More specifically, the unfed children of the United States.
“17.6 million children come from food insecure families,” begins Plymouth State University nutritionist Diahnn Thompkins, “that’s 17.6 million children too many, and though we are only one school, the PSU Dining team decided to fight for the cause nonetheless.”
Across the country, hundreds of Sodexo catered dining halls, celebrated the Go Orange Campaign during the week of September 16th through the 22nd in an effort to raise awareness regarding childhood hunger.
This year, Plymouth State University’s very own Sodexo food service participated in its first annual event, adding a unique twist on the campaign by not only hosting a grocery and food drive, but additionally requiring the entire staff to wear orange, a bold color chosen to make an equally bold statement about need to address and change the poverty issue within America.
“In addition to our three-day food drive, of which all donations will be donated to the Pemi Youth Center, we have created a slideshow within the dining half for all students, faculty and staff to see to continue to raise awareness,” says Diahnn, who additionally stresses the importance of consuming high quality foods in order to maintain good health.
Plymouth State student Sam Durfee who has worked alongside Diahnn Thompson during the food drive states that the food drive is “an important step toward building better communal awareness of the physical, behavioral, and developmental detriment an inadequate diet,” can cause.
“The Hunger Games Film provides fantastic entertainment,” concludes PSU student Brianna Gualco, “but if you take a moment to aside the characterization, and look at the big picture, it is the quintessential image of the real world, and the ubiquity of the hunger within it.”