Before going to the Winter Waltz last Saturday, hundreds of Grinnell students gave up their dining hall meal to fund charities through Fogfast. This year the annual event, in which two charities selected by the SGA Services committee receive contributions from students donating their meal plans, received at least 200 fewer donations than last spring. For charities where every penny makes a significant difference, the drop in donations is being felt hard.

Students participate in Fogfast each year by donating their waltz night dining hall meal or delegating 10 percent of their bill at a local restaurant to the charities. Dining Services donates around $2.40 for each donated meal to split between the two charities sponsored. Students can also choose to make additional donations.

This semester Fogfast raised money for Asociaci—n SOLAC, a charity based in Peru that provides free school lunches and math and reading tutoring, and the Grinnell chapter of Mortar Board. Last spring Grinnell students raised "around $2,000" for Fogfast from 800-1000 P-Card donations, said campus SOLAC leader Emily Reiersgaard '08. In comparison, only about 630 students donated their meal to Fogfast this year, a loss of almost $500, she said.

SGA Services Coordinator Kirby Ramstad '08 was only able to immediately confirm that numbers had dropped this semester. "The only thing I know for sure is that there were 600-700 cards swiped," she said. "Usually we get between 800-1000."

For Reiersgaard, this reduction in donations bodes poorly for SOLAC. "In Peru, [the reduction in donations] equates to roughly $720," she said, "which is enough to feed the children lunches for months, to fund the transportation of volunteer tutors [or] to begin filling the recently completed library."

Ramstad suggested that the discrepancy may be the result of first-years and transfer students who are not yet familiar with Fogfast. "I assume spring would always be higher," she said.

A final count is not yet available, since donations from restaurants have yet to be collected. Still, Ramstad said that from P-Card contributions alone Fogfast has raised about $1400. She expects that once restaurant donations are added the two groups should each receive over $1000.

Still, Reiersgaard said she hopes students will be more willing to contribute in the future. "We hope that next semester people will be much more willing to donate their meal ... and support local businesses by going out to eat," she said. "It's a win-win-win situation, really-save yourself and your tummy from the dining hall for a night, support local businesses and do it all for charity."