Activist groups sponsor benefit dinner

Indiana Public Interest Research Group and Outreach Kenya will be hosting the Neighbors in Action Benefit Dinner at 8 p.m. today in the Grand Ballroom of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.\nProceeds from the dinner will go to health and community development programs in Kenya, which are organized by Neighbors in Action.\n“This event is an opportunity to raise awareness about Kenya,” said Erica Weyer, co-director of the Outreach Kenya student group, “and to raise money for Neighbors in Action Kenya.”\nINPIRG arranged the dinner as part of its hunger and homelessness campaign. It also gave the group a chance to expand beyond the local level.\n“We wanted to reach out to people outside Bloomington,” INPIRG member Laura Nading said. “This is an opportunity to do that and help those that are in dire need.” \nThe INPIRG group has been planning an international approach to its hunger and homelessness campaign all semester. After the destruction caused by political uprisings in Kenya, the INPIRG group saw an opportunity to start its new approach, which it did with help from the Outreach Kenya student group. With the group’s help, INPIRG was able to make contact with Neighbors in Action, Nading said.\nThe grass roots organization is located in the Rift Valley Province of southwestern Kenya. Neighbors in Action is a non-governmental organization that strives to enhance the lives of its community members. It achieves this by granting scholarships to orphaned adolescents, providing health care to AIDS/ HIV patients and mobilizing the community.\n“Most of the money from this event will pay for the primary school of orphans,” Weyer said. \nTo cater the event, the INPIRG group asked Cake and the Caterer to prepare an authentic Kenyan dinner that brings a piece of Kenya to them. Chicken and vegetarian curry, rice and traditional greens are among several dishes included in today’s event. \n“Cooking ethnic meals is always a learning experience for us,” said chef and owner Nick Farkas. \nHe said for such events he will research prominent flavors and techniques used in their traditional dishes. \nToday’s dinner will offer more than Kenyan cuisine. There will be music and a guest speaker, Ron Pettigrew, who manages the IU-Kenya Partnership out of IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. His speech will address the rebuilding of Kenya by fighting poverty and hunger. \nTickets are $25 for students and $30 for non-students. For more information on ticket availability, e-mail OKDV@indiana.edu or \ncall 856-4128.