Potluck caters to vegetarians

• Tweet
• 

The Community Project’s vegetarian potluck returns this year to fill the stomachs of hungry college students.

The potluck takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday in the Wesley Foundation, 1400 S. Washington St.

The Community Project consists of the Animal Rights Defense and Wesley
Peace Center. The goal of the event is to bring different student organizations
and people of diverse backgrounds together while filling their stomachs with
vegetarian food, said Angie Pohlman, who is both a member and organizer of
the Community Project.

“Potlucks are a great way to communicate with people,” Pohlman said.

The weekly event started in September of 2002. The Community Project is
spreading awareness that vegetarianism is not only a healthier way of life,
but also that it is the best option for the protection of animals, being
environmentally friendly, as well as a great course of action to stop world
hunger.

“A large misperception about vegetarianism is that the food is bland.
We want others to know how delicious the food is,” Pennsylvania junior Jessica
Green said. 

The turnout is expected to increase throughout the school year, Pohlman said.

“A lot of students are getting used to the new time and day of this event,”
she said. “Once people are used to when the potluck is, we expect better
turnouts of people to enjoy the vegetarian meals.” 

The vegetarian potluck should not scare away students who enjoy meat as
part of their diet, said Megan Kohn, who is a member and organizer of Animal
Rights Defense.

“People who eat meat should not be intimidated, we would actually prefer
if more meat eaters would come to the event,” Kohn said. “It would help spread
the word of the event, and that would have so many benefits to people, animals
and the environment.”

The Wesley Foundation also donated a garden area for the growing of vegetables
such as cabbage, beans and tomatoes that are going to be used in the many
different vegetarian dishes during the events. Some of these fruits and vegetables
will be donated to a soup kitchen.

“The garden is yielding a lot this year, more than we expected,” Pohlman said.

The Community Project also supports the local farmers by buying from them as well as volunteering to work on their farms.

“Anyone who is interested is welcome to come,” Green said. “Bring food if you can. If you can’t bring food, bring your friends.”

Any student organization is more than welcome to sponsor the event.

“We would like to see some of the fraternities sponsoring the event, that would help to reach a lot more people,” Pohlman said.

Anyone who is interested in attending the event can get more information
about the event by contacting Angie Pohlman and Jessica Green at 773-0559,
and Megan Kohn at 772-4533.