• Sample the Soups, a fundraising event for Hunger Clean-Up, will be held Wednesday in the Alumni Memorial Union.
• To celebrate the 20th year of Hunger Clean-Up, the planning team has invited Gov. Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett to attend the event's opening.
• So far, 40 organizations have sent in applications to provide Hunger Clean-Up work sites.

In preparation for Hunger Clean-Up's 20th anniversary in April, organizers will host the Sample the Soups fundraiser tomorrow.

Attendees will get to taste a variety of different soups in the Alumni Memorial Union Ballrooms between noon and 2 p.m.

Black bean chili with turkey, tomato bisque, spice vegetable, chicken tortilla and Italian chicken noodle will be offered. The soup -— a total of 33 pounds -was donated by the Soup Market, the Soup Otzie's, TLC Soup Co. and Highland House Restaurant.

Empty Bowls, a nonprofit organization that raises money to fight hunger, has provided bowls made by local high school artisans to give away as artwork.

David Quam, a co-coordinator of Hunger Clean-Up, said planning for Sample the Soups began about three months ago. It's one of several fundraising events leading up to Hunger Clean-Up, Marquette's largest one-day service project, on April 18.

Other events include the Dance-a-Thon on April 4, Reel Poverty Film Festival on April 16 and an alumni wine and chocolate tasting event on April 17.

"Sample the Soups has usually been one of our biggest fundraising events," said Quam, a senior in the College of Engineering.

This year's Hunger Clean-Up is particularly significant because of its 20th anniversary. It started as part of the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness in 1985, then separated into its own event in 1989, said Laura Skaife, assistant dean for community service programs in the Office of Student Development.

Brian Harper, a work site coordinator and sophomore in the College of Communication, said the event was originally planned by Campus Ministry.

Quam said planners are hoping for a little more than 2,000 student participants this year. In the past, participation rates have fluctuated, but in the most recent years, there has been an increase.

In early February, organizers sent out about 150 letters to various groups seeking their involvement in Hunger Clean-Up. So far, 40 organizations have responded — and some are offering more than one site for volunteers to work, Harper said.

Skaife, the Hunger Clean-Up planning team adviser, said alumni will be coming back to share their stories about the event.

Quam said the planning team has invited Gov. Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett to attend the opening of Hunger Clean-Up.