Hunger and Homelessness Auction raises funds for local organizations

Tarot card readings, a vintage Epiphone guitar, a chance to challenge the dean’s softball team, and an afternoon of handy work by second-year medical students were on the block on Nov. 19 at the 17th Annual Hunger and Homelessness Auction sponsored by the Yale Health Professional Schools.

This year the auction netted about $25,000 for local nonprofits whose programs combat hunger and homelessness. In the past, grants have been awarded to such agencies as the Community Health Care Van, Loaves and Fishes, the Community Soup Kitchen, and Domestic Violence Services.

Traditional items were offered during the live auction in Marigold’s, including a bow tie belonging to William B. Stewart, Ph.D., associate professor of surgery and chief of the Section of Anatomy and Experimental Surgery. (The tie, which “smells faintly of formaldehyde,” fetched $900.) Stewart also offered his usual Beef and Beer Dinner for eight, which fetched an additional $900. Nancy R. Angoff, M.P.H. ’81, M.D. ’90, HS ’93, associate dean for student affairs, and Margaret J. Bia, M.D., professor of medicine, reprised their “Girls’ Night Out”—“Share good food, great company, juicy gossip, and worldly wisdom with Drs. Peggy Bia, Jean Vining, Joni Hansson, and Nancy Angoff. (Dinner for girls only).” The dinner was worth $800 to a group of medical students.

And continuing into his fourth year, Wade Brubacher, a professional auctioneer from Kansas and father of medical student Jake Brubacher, offered his services and led the bidding.

The live auction came after a silent auction that began on Monday, Nov. 16. The silent auction included offerings of clothing, dinners, food, and lessons in language, arts, dance, and sports. Assorted services offered included trips to Costco, gofer services for one business day, computer help, and a personal tour of the Big Apple from a native New Yorker.