Cultural diversity’s club’s food fair raises funds for Ukraine

The cultural diversity club held its annual food fair on April 22 from 6-8 p.m. Junior Tanvi Khadiya, who is a part of the Cultural Diversity Club, said the food fair had been a tradition at CF since 2018. The food fair provides an opportunity for students of all cultures to share their traditions with the student body. 

The food fair is typically set in the Tiger’s Den. However, this year Khadiyah had the idea to expand it to the cafeteria so that the entire school could experience the diversity. “We had food from India, Italy, Iran, Bosnia, Japan, Tanzania and Mexico. Since this year was in the cafeteria, we had the two long tables set up where people could kind of walk around and then sit at their own individual tables,” Khadiyah said. 

She said about 80 students and parents attended the food fair, along with around seven teachers. Although there was a link on Schoology giving students the opportunity to RSVP, Khadiyah said there were more students who RSVP’d than those who attended. “I do remember setting up being extremely fun. There was so much chaos. We were running around barefoot at times, even. We had a lot of music playing and a big rush when we first opened at 6. The first 30 minutes I bet around 40 people came, which was crazy,” she said.

She said that the majority of dishes provided came from members of the club; however, some non-members brought meals. Two foreign exchange students, Ellie Sawada and Bertha Lugenge, had brought food, along with freshman Sana Tabei. “Food is something that generally unites people. Even if you’re not familiar with the culture or the language, food is something people can connect with. This event helped people see new cultures and celebrate all of the different crowds we have here at the high school,” she said. 

Students had to pay a $5 entry fee, resulting in around $400 profit from the event; 75 percent of the funds will be donated directly to help Ukraine. The remainder of the cash will be kept for funding next year’s food fair.