Who hasn’t dreamed of trying dishes from around the world? On Wednesday, Feb. 11 from 12 to 4 p.m., the Multicultural Club made that possible.
Through a fundraiser held in the Campus Center Solarium, students and faculty were able to sample a variety of international foods and drinks.
The menu featured samosas and mango lassi from India, okonomiyaki from Japan, and
Buffloaf with Nutella, a popular snack from Ghana, along with many other cultural dishes. With prices ranging from just $1 to $7, the event was both accessible and inviting to the campus community.
Boniface Gaston, a senior business management and marketing major at VTSU Castleton and president of the Multicultural Club, spent significant time preparing for the event.
“We worked all together, but I thought we could make a food fundraiser, like a mini food fundraising idea, which was kind of hard to do, so we decided this was the best way to do it with the whole club,” Gaston said.
Sharon Asolmia Aganah, the club’s treasurer, also played an important role in organizing and shopping for the fundraiser. She explained that the club had struggled financially in the past.
“Club funds have been low for a while because we had unsuccessful fundraisers in the past…We tried before but we didn’t make as much money as we would have liked,” Aganah said.
When asked about the logistics of setting up the fundraiser Aganah responded,
“Not exactly, it just took a lot of effort on the part of all the members,” she said.
“We had to figure out a date, propose the things we wanted to sell, make fund requests, and do shopping. Some of the items we ordered online weren’t what we expected, so we had to add impromptu dishes. We had to find a day and a place to cook everything, store the food, and transport it all while working around class schedules.”
The food was well received by students. One student described the food as “very yummy,” purchasing two samosas at the same time.
With the help of Mary Dinh, a multicultural education professor at Castleton University, who prepared Vietnamese pasta with her husband, the fundraiser became more than just a fundraising effort. It served as a meaningful gathering that brought together students and faculty through food and culture.
By the end of the fundraiser, Gaston was more than satisfied with the outcome.
“It went way better than expected because of the money. We made profit just in the first hour, which was very surprising,” he said.
Both Gaston and Aganah also highlighted an upcoming Multicultural Club event.
“We actually have another fundraising event, which is the fashion show, but it is free to all students because we are collaborating with CAB,” Aganah said.
“It is going to be a display of people’s fashion choices and cultural attire, everyday wear, and many other categories. Everyone is welcome to see the show.”
“Hit us up and stay posted,” Gaston added enthusiastically!