When talking about inequality, sometimes the discussion feels esoteric. Income gaps, wealth disparity, it can become mere words rather than a pressing issue.

But when talk of food comes up, the problem becomes more tangible. Everyone needs to eat to survive. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world has enough to eat. And yet even this feels just a bit out of reach, a headline from a newspaper, or passing glimpse on the news.

On April 30 the Vineyard Committee on Hunger brings the issue to the center of the plate, so to speak, at its annual Hunger Banquet. The dinner reveals the disparity in food security around the world in a simple yet direct manner.

At the beginning of the dinner, participants draw a card and are randomly assigned to a part of the world. Some will sit at a banquet table and enjoy a feast. Others will experience a more meagre offering and sit in a stall or small table. Still others may just get a bit of bread, if anything at all. The result is a real look at the range of privileges and lack of basic necessities around world, all in one place at one time.

Everyone is invited to take part in this free event. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. on April 30 at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Any donations collected will benefit the Island Community and Oxfam’s work around the world.

For more information, email Betty Burton at burtonsundman@hotmail.com.