A new breakfast table has popped up on the Main Green. Every Wednesday, Brown's chapter of Nourish International holds a "hunger breakfast," modeled after "hunger lunches" held by other college chapters.
"Hunger Breakfast is a twist on that. Every Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 11:00, we sell coffee from Coffee Exchange and pastries from Starbucks and various other restaurants for $2 or less," said Rachel Thakore '13, Brown's chapter chair.
The group's chapter at Brown was established last year. "Nourish International is a nonprofit student organization. What we do is run business ventures throughout the year to raise money for a sustainable development project that we implement in the summer," Thakore said.
Ventures are very different than fundraising, she added. "The difference is, when we choose a venture, we think about who our market is, how we can target our market, what needs we can meet on a college campus, and we are constantly reshaping our ventures so they can be the most profitable and successful."
Students are not giving money away but paying for something they will receive in return, she said. Nourish has tailored their ventures to the college market.
"What do college kids want?" Thakore asks. "Food and entertainment."
Past ventures have included a "Pancakes for Poverty" night, which was "wildly successful," said Thakore. They are having another this Saturday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Bronson House kitchen in Keeney Quadrangle. The special is the "hangover pancake."
"It's our everything pancake, featuring all the toppings we will be having that night," Thakore said. "Only the drunkest of the drunk can handle this pancake. Will you be up to the challenge?"
So far the club has raised around $750. Their goal for the semester is $1,500, Thakore said.
This money will go toward the group's summer project. "We are in contact with several different organizations," Thakore said. "We want the project to be sustainable, and we want to be working alongside the community in deciding what needs to be done." Potential projects include building schools and supporting sustainable agricultural practices.
Nourish is still open to new members.
"We give students who are interested in international development and finding modern, sustainable solutions to global poverty a creative and innovative way to raise money for sustainable projects," Thakore said. The group aims to give students the leadership and business skills needed to become leaders in the fight against global poverty, she added.
