By Jordan Liu | Copy Editor

   On Feb. 10, Gabrielino High School’s annual Food Faire took place in the Quad during lunch. This year, 23 clubs and organizations participated in the Food Faire, selling snacks, dishes, and desserts for prices ranging from $2-5.

   The Food Faire is an event where different clubs and organizations set up a booth and sell assorted food items to raise money for themselves. Students of all grades and staff members used tickets to purchase various items, browsing the tables manned by volunteers. 

   The Food Faire was organized by the Associated Student Body (ASB) Office of Clubs and Organizations and is meant to give different groups on campus the opportunity to fundraise.

   “I think that what makes Food Faire special is that the clubs get to choose what they themselves want to sell and raise money for whatever cause that they think best suits their club,” said junior Ashley Lau, the Commissioner for the ASB Office of Clubs and Organizations. “It’s really deep and meaningful because I manage the fundraising requests and I see the purpose behind why they fundraise.”

   Towards the end of the lunch period, many clubs still had food available, leading to them lowering their prices and announcing new deals using ASB’s microphone. 

   “Multiple clubs and organizations began to drop their prices significantly and rapidly, which I thought was one of the funniest and most shocking things because the moment one group did it, it caused a massive ripple effect,” said senior Andy Banh, a member of the Office of Clubs and Organizations, who helped to arrange Food Faire with Lau.  

   At the end of the lunch period, the large number of students who were still buying food and the amount of food that was available prompted ASB to announce that lunchtime would be extended by ten minutes. 

   “Extending lunch just kind of happened because everyone was excited and then they started giving out things for free,” explained Lau. “Even though it wasn’t planned, I’m glad we did it.”

   For many clubs, it was their first time participating in the Food Faire. The Medical Career Club was one of the new clubs that experienced their first Food Faire.

   “I think the experience has been really good. I’ve had a lot of fun getting the club involved and figuring out what we should sell this year,” stated sophomore Angelina Chung, president of the Medical Career Club.

   Last year’s Food Faire encountered the challenge of having too much demand for food but not enough supply to meet it. There was an excess of tickets that were never used, leaving many students dissatisfied. 

   To prevent that problem from recurring this year, ASB held a mandatory Food Faire meeting on Feb. 1 where they required clubs to report how much money they were predicted to make. Using those estimations, ASB only put out a specific number of tickets and limited the maximum amount of tickets that each person could buy to 20. 

   Thanks to the improved ticket distribution system, Food Faire ran smoothly and the student body was able to enjoy a fun opportunity to eat good food and support school organizations. The enthusiastic participation of the student community in the Food Faire shows that the event will remain a classic Gabrielino tradition.

   “I personally feel that this year’s Food Faire went really well,” said Banh. “I think making memories is the most important aspect in these types of school events because it can allow club members and officers to establish a connection with one another and also bond.”