The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

Dining services raises $10,000 for charity

UW-Eau Claire has raised more than $10,000 in donations for a local food charity since 1995 when it first held the biannual soup and bread night at the Hilltop cafeteria.

“Soup’s On” is a night when only soup and bread are sold at the cafeteria. Half of the profits made by Dining Services that night are donated to Feed My People, 331 Putnam St.

The most recent “Soup’s On,” which took place Feb. 27, marked the night Dining Services surpassed its goal of $10,000.

With this semester’s total of $800, Dining Services has raised enough money to put the grand total over the top.

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The profits come from a combination of places, including food sales from soup and bread night and from donation cans in Davies cafeteria and at Hilltop food court.

Students are charged the regular price of a meal at the cafeteria and half of the cost is donated to Feed My People. Students also are given the opportunity to donate more money by deducting money from their Blugold meal plan or by donating their extra change.

Sophomore Heather Olson said she likes this idea because it’s easier to take money out of meal plans because many students don’t carry cash on them.

Students are given the option to choose from a variety soups.

“We have four soups that are served that are chosen by the student committee,” said junior Leeann Lokken, student co-chair of the food committee.

She said the committee is given a list of the soups Chartwells makes. From that it chooses a vegetarian, broth and cream soup and one other choice.

Some students are pleased with the choices and the night in general.

“I love it,” senior Kate Whitty said. “I love soup and bread and it is nice to have a variety of soups to choose from.”

“Soup’s On” is not only about eating, though; it’s about helping those in need. Since 1982, Feed My People has operated as a distribution center to more than 40 food pantries and other charitable organizations, Lokken said.

These organizations then distribute the food to senior citizens, single parents, the working poor, homeless and mentally ill people and others in need throughout the Chippewa Valley.

Eau Claire donations are an important contribution to the program, Lokken said. It takes $850 to cover the cost of obtaining more than 14,000 pounds of food and to provide the extra transportation costs it would take to move five semi-truckloads of food.

The money Dining Services donated this past semester was enough to contribute almost 14,000 pounds of food. This is only a small fraction of what it has donated during the past six years.

Although Dining Services and the food committee have reached the $10,000 mark, they will continue to have soup and bread night as a biannual event.

“We want to get as much as we can get,” Lokken said. “We hope to keep helping out others in need.”

The next soup and bread night will be in the fall.

The nights usually are later in the fall semester and earlier in the spring, Lokken said, because it is still cold and people will want a warm bowl of soup.

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Dining services raises $10,000 for charity