People and food were abundant in the Isabella Cannon Room located in Center for the Arts in celebration of Elon’s sixth annual Will Read for Food fundraiser. The arts and letters learning community organized the event, which took place on Feb. 15, to provide an outlet for people to read literature they are passionate about and donate food to the Alamance County Food Bank. A donation of a can of food was required for participation.

“It’s really cool because people will just read whatever they want,” said sophomore Maddie Magnusson, a current member of the arts and letters learning community.

Magnusson and another learning community resident, sophomore Tori Walker, conducted the event with help of their faculty adviser Tita Ramirez, associate professor of English.

“We actually had to go into the back room for more chairs,” Ramirez said. “I love it when that happens.”

The crowd of approximately 50 people covered the back table with canned goods.

Seven students and two faculty members read a broad variety of literary works to the attendees.

Sophomore Will Stirn read a poem titled “Written on the Back of an Envelope in 1980,” freshman Yasmine Arrington shared experiential poems she had written in the 9th grade and senior Alexa Johnson’s piece linked the mathematical impossibility of eating at McDonald’s to the essential life processes.

Claudine Moreau, lecturer of physics, told the room that she was glad to share her inner poet and read an original work inspired by an ex-boyfriend. David Banks, a sophomore English major, said he had been referred to the event by his creative writing professor and was interested to hear him speak at the event. Will Read for Food is the longest running arts and letters event, according to Ramirez. She described the growth of the learning community from “a few rooms back in (the recently demolished) Chandler back in 2005, to having two separate locations — a group of rooms in Staley for the first years and the 15-person Trollinger House.”

A consistent number of unofficial members also contribute to the learning community’s events, she said. These unofficial members are either former members who have moved off campus or people who never lived in a learning community, but still come and support the group.

The learning community also sponsors open-mic nights during the first Thursday of every month in Trollinger House at 8 p.m.