Wednesday, November 19, 1997
Cook-off raises awareness for hunger, homelessness
FUND-RAISER:
Eleven teams whip up chili for taste test to benefit cause By H.
Jayne Ahn
Daily Bruin Contributor
On Tuesday, the Sigma Pi fraternity house was full of amateur
chefs and generous gifts.
As part of a fund-raiser for the hunger and homelessness, 11
teams of UCLA students and community members whipped up their best
chili recipe for a taste-judging test.
"It’s not everyday you have a fund-raiser where you make chili
for a good cause. It’s kind of an interesting, a new spin on fund
raising," said Lisa Johnstone, a second-year history student who
cooked for Kappa Delta.
The Chili Cook-off, coordinated by the California Public
Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), was their biggest event during
this week’s campaign against hunger and homelessness.
UCLA is one of more than 600 campuses in 45 states partaking in
the spirit of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, held
annually during the first full week before Thanksgiving.
Coalitions of students and community members across the country
engage in events to raise awareness about hunger and
homelessness.
"I got my recipe from my mom. She’s a really good cook. It only
took me about an hour to make," said Galen Holmes, a second-year
undeclared student.
"Everyone’s chili is really great. I think mine’s going to win
though," said Eric Gertsman, a fourth-year philosophy student.
"It’s great chili for a great cause," said Dan Urman,
second-year history and political science student.
Not all participants in the cook-off made chili. Some donated
money to participate as tasters and judges.
"We wanted to do something interactive and fun but also
requiring a little bit of effort," said Angie Kumst, a third-year
French student who coordinated the event.
According to the Tufts Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition
Policy and the Children’s Defense Fund, one in five children in
California is living in poverty and every 53 minutes, an American
child dies from poverty.
"It’s a huge, national issue. Things can be done to help local
populations that aren’t grand in scale but do make a little bit of
difference," Kumst said.
Half the proceeds raised from the event are going to the
National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness (NSCAHH),
one of the sponsors of the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness
Week.
The rest will go to the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition.
Donations were also made by some of the sponsors at the event.
In addition to the cook-off, members of CALPIRG’s hunger and
homelessness project are launching another campaign with the
NSCAHH, advocating the expansion of eligibility requirement for
food stamps.
In their effort to influence national legislation, in a campaign
titled "Hunger Has a Cure," students are sending postcards and
letters to President Bill Clinton.
"We are in (the hunger and homelessness project) to raise
awareness so that a lot of people around campus and students who
are going to be influential leaders in the future can think about
these problems and think about ways to try to solve them more
completely than we can," said Kumst.