When I was poor(ish, not "can't afford food" poor) that never really was a problem either. For parties we often just pooled the money and went shopping for food

When I was poor(ish, not "can't afford food" poor) that never really was a problem either. For parties we often just pooled the money and went shopping for food/alcohol, or sometimes host provided the food for BBQ with guests getting and paying for alcohol. Events when host paid for food/alcohol were usually only birthdays, and, well, then you "paid" with gifts.