This past Thursday evening UConnPIRG’s Hunger and Homelessness organization held a Charity Date Auction. Volunteers were auctioned off to be Valentine’s Day dates to raise money for the Holy Family Home and Shelter in Willimantic, Connecticut.
Volunteers before the auction began.
The auction was held in the Wilbur Cross North Reading room with free food donated from Sgt. Pepperoni’s, Sarah’s Pocket, and Wings Over Storrs. Music played as the lovely volunteers walked out to the front of the room and the MCs read a short bio about each person. With everyone dresesed to the nines and ready for a fun time, the energy in the room came alive as the bidding began to pick up. A couple of members from the UConn Break Dancing Club busted a move and had the crowd cheering.
Nelson Chalas & Josh Colon showing off their break dancing talents.
The auction raised approximitely $800 in donations with the highest bid for a participant at $74.
Top Left: Samam Azimi Top Right: Shannon CoxBottom Left: Katherine McLeese Bottom Right: Steve Hashemi
The Campaign Coordinator for UConnPIRG’s Hunger and Homelessness, Adedoyin Ladoja, strives to bring awareness to the cause on a local and national level. The date auction was a fun and flirty way to bring attention to the issue of poverty by having guests bring canned food items or a donation of $3 dollars as their admission fee. This organization hopes to open the discussion of hunger, homelessness, and poverty up on a broader scale and get more people to lend a helping hand. Adedoyin also sends out a big thank you to all the members of the organization who helped put the event together, the volunteers, and everyone who donated to the cause.
If you want to find out more about UConnPIRG you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or check out their UConntact page.