From 9 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, over 1,000 people flooded the floors of Lewis Hall to attend the dorm’s signature event, Lewis House of Pancakes (LHOP).
Aptly named, the event offered attendees pancakes and other breakfast foods for $5 a plate. The event's proceeds support the Northern Food Bank of Indiana. Prior to the event, Lewis Hall set a goal to raise $5,000.
“The event is so special because everyone comes together and is just so dedicated to the cause,” sophomore Lewis Hall vice president Mary Novy said.
People showed up in droves to support the cause and fill their stomachs with breakfast foods. There was a line out the hall's door, where attendees were greeted by a glowing LHOP sign in a first floor window, upbeat music playing over speakers and “Welcome to LHOP” cheers from Lewis residents wearing chick costumes and custom, pink LHOP shirts.
The hall’s rector, Megan Moore, designed the shirts. They were sold for $15 each and used to raise money for the food bank. Lewis residents also wore the shirts around campus in the days leading up to the event to spread awareness. By the end of the night, the shirts were almost sold out.
“The shirts were so cute,” Laura Amezquita Cadavid, a freshman in Farley Hall, said. “I loved the pink.”
Once inside, attendees teemed through the stairways, grabbing bacon in the basement, lemonade and T-shirts on the first floor, breakfast casserole on the second floor, pancakes on the third floor and cinnamon rolls on the fourth floor.
“I had a great time. I would definitely go back next year,” Amezquita Cadavid said. “The music was great, and the food was surprisingly good, especially the cinnamon rolls. Also, the Lewis girls were all so nice and working so hard for a good cause, which was nice to see.”
Two changes to this year's event included the addition of gluten-free pancakes to be more inclusive to those with dietary restrictions and walkie-talkies for those running the event to communicate more smoothly with each other, floor-to-floor.
“The day of was a flurry trying to get everything prepared,” Novy said.
Lewis Hall residents made trips to the grocery store a week prior to the event, where they bought carts worth of food.
Residents also spent many hours cooking the day of the event. Novy especially emphasized how long it took for residents to make all the bacon, which they started cooking at 8 p.m. the night before the event.
“We definitely beat last year’s total and this year’s fundraising goal too,” Novy said. “This was in part due to everyone that came out to eat and buy our shirts.”
The event experienced a syrup shortage not long after 10 p.m. Some Lewis residents were sent to the Huddle to buy more syrup, but the Huddle also did not have any.
“I think LHOP brings out the best in Lewis: we’re hospitable, we’re fun and we’re caring,” said the hall’s resident priest, Fr. Aaron Michka.
