Student-run auction benefits charities in New Haven region

The 16th Annual Hunger & Homelessness Auction, a student-run event that combines entertainment with charitable giving, was held last November, raising $32,000 for several organizations in the New Haven area.

“This is about giving back,” said auctioneer Wade Brubacher, a professional from Kansas and father of third-year medical student Jacob Brubacher, in his third appearance as auctioneer at the event. “You won’t make money at it, but you’ll feel good.”

Since its inauguration as an afternoon event in 1993, the event has expanded to include a week of activities that include a football game between first- and second-year medical students, a performance of chamber music, a panel discussion on hunger and homelessness and film screenings.

The week ends with silent and live auctions in the School of Medicine’s Harkness Ballroom and at Marigold’s, a nearby dining hall.

Among the available items at the silent auction were works of art, services by students and faculty, dinners at homes and restaurants, quilts, jewelry, a mysterious item listed as “Mediterranean Dinner & Debauchery,” concert tickets and homemade brownies.