By Hannah Kebede
Elm Staff Writer
How you get the Washington College community to help fight starvation all over the world? Let them eat cake.
On Nov. 15, the Service Council hosted the third annual Cake-Off to benefit The Hunger Project, a global organization that fights to end hunger in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Junior Melissa Agnostak, head of the service council’s global committee, planned the event with her co-chair sophomore Madelyn Zins.
“This program encourages its’ participants, primarily women, to be proactive in meeting their basic needs. Skill training is provided in local law, nutrition, literacy, and numeracy,” she said.
Cake-Off was moved to the Hodson Student Center from the Egg, where it had formerly been held, in order to accommodate the growing number of teams and spectators involved in this popular event. Teams can have up to four members, including students, former students, families and staff, and represent specific clubs or just groups of friends. It cost $12 to register and $3 for each additional layer of cake used. Admission cost to watch the competition was also $3.
The teams included: Art History Club, Kevin, Toll Trolls, AP, Daly First, The Seahawks, Bake Club, Alumni Take The Cake, Bringing Home The Bacon, Three Guys And A Lady, Sugar Rush, and Goose Chow. Each gave their all in the two hours competition.
These 12 teams decorated cakes to be evaluated by faculty and staff judges Beth Anne Langrell, Toni May, Darnell Parker, David Stuebing, Carl Crowe, Heather Morris, and Andrea Vassar for the best overall cake, the most school spirit, the best use of icing and the most creative.
Alumni Take The Cake, representing the Alumni House, won Best Overall Cake for their Wizard of Oz themed cake in preparation for Birthday Ball. Each winning team received a $25 Visa giftcard.
Senior Taylor Goss was the announcer for the event, and “he was as hilarious as ever,” said sophomore Emily Illar, secretary of the Service Council.
“I really enjoyed this. I’ve had plenty experience eating cake, none in actually making and decorating one, but it was still a great experience and just fun to try. Plus its for a good cause, which makes it even better,” said sophomore Austin Lewis.
Sophomore Jillian Gobrecht definitely plans to participate again next year. “I’m so glad I did Cake-Off. It was so much fun to decorate a cake for a good cause, and it was a great experience. I will certainly do it again,” she said.
By the end of the event, more than $400 had been raised for The Hunger Project by participants and spectators, and the Service Council hopes to raise even more next year. The cakes and decorating materials were provided by the dinning staff and, once judged, the decorated cakes were available to be eaten by all those in attendance.
“We would like to thank all of the teams who participated,” said senior Kelsey Mills, president of the Service Council. “And a big thanks to everyone else who helped make our event a success.”