The problem? Raising awareness and help for world hunger in a grabbing, innovative way.
The solution? Combine a catwalk, canned food donation and college students and name it Feed the Sexy.
The second annual Feed the Sexy on Tuesday – a combination food drive and date auction – raised half a ton of food last year, event organizers said, and even before the totals are in, they’re predicting an even larger haul for the 2008 event.
"I try to use my good looks for a good cause," Pre-pharmacy freshman Valentine Ifedi, one of the models in the event, said with a laugh.
Students packed the Moody Towers Commons to bid for a catered dinner with one of the models – going for as much as 1,000 points. Students earned points by turning in canned foods for one point, packaged items for two, toiletries for three, books and toys for four, and clothes or shoes for five.
Pre-nursing and psychology junior Ashley Gordon, who headed the event this year, estimated it raised more than 5,000 points worth of merchandise, though she didn’t yet have an exact sum.
Despite having already gone through a rigorous audition and preparation process, several of the evening’s models said they were nervous up on the catwalk, especially waiting for that first bid. Still, they said, it was worth it for a good cause, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Ike.
"I feel like this is what we need to bring everybody together," said Chris Smith, a chemical engineering freshman. "It’s a good cause, helping all the people that got their lives destroyed."
Bidding started off slowly, but picked up after intermission. Gordon said it was a combination of bidders waiting for specific models, turning in more goods during the intermission to get points and the event organizers’ decision to accept monetary donations to the Food Bank at $1 a point.
"That’s how it was last year – a lot of people were afraid to go first. It takes a lot of guts to go first," she said. "The models were gorgeous first and second round. During intermission a lot of people went back and got more cans."
Models were required to demonstrate both beauty and brains to be considered for the show, Gordon said.
In the audition process, students were asked to wear their most stylish clothes, demonstrate their best catwalk and interview with event organizers, the models said. Competition was tough.
"You had to wait in a long line," said psychology freshman Parshae Jackson. "Basically get your personality out there."
Gordon said one of the biggest criteria was the models’ answers to questions about what they thought about world hunger and how to solve it.
"All of the models we had had amazing answers to our question," she said. "That was the main reason we picked these people."
This year’s Feed the Sexy was more formal and on a larger scale than last year’s, Gordon said. The models rehearsed twice a week since the audition in September, practicing their walks and getting more comfortable showing their personalities on stage, Gordon said.
The event has earned recognition at both the regional and national levels among other residential programs. Though Gordon didn’t create the program, she helped in 2007 and hopes to see it continue growing.
"I want to keep it going to be a Residential Life and Housing tradition," she said. "I want it to be bigger and bigger every year."
Students bidding on the dates said they showed up to help those in need and to have a good time. The dates will be scheduled after Thanksgiving break, when all couples will gather for dinner.
Business administration freshman Sasha Haywood bid 648 points on a friend who was up for auction as a way to support both him and Gordon.
"I think it’s going great – I think we’re raising a lot of stuff," she said.
Haywood brought clothes, packaged noodles, magazines and cans to earn the points she bid.
"I wanted to make sure I was going to get him," she said.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Jonny Contreras donated toys and canned goods to win a date with elementary education and business sophomore Crystal Rios at 80 points.
"It’s for a good cause, and it’s a fun thing," he said.
