The Campus Vegetarian Society is hosting a free Vegan Soul Food Dinner in the Trelease Lounge of Florida Avenue Residence Hall at 7 p.m. tonight.

Shakela Rogers-Richardson, president of the Campus Vegetarian Society, came up with the idea for the dinner. Originally it was supposed to be only for Rogers-Richardson’s floor in Trelease Hall but eventually grew to include the Campus Vegetarian Society as well.

“I never expected it to be this big, but I am very happy and excited,” said Rogers-Richardson, freshman in engineering. “I was going to do the dinner for my birthday, but then it grew into vegetarian awareness and also a celebration of Black History Month.”

Rogers-Richardson also wants to combat two common myths with this event. She wants to show that soul food can be made healthier, and she wants to prove that vegetarian food can taste good.

The menu contains 15 items including macaroni and cheese, greens, BBQ twist, black-eyed pea patties, dinner rolls and apple cobbler. To ensure that all of the food is 100 percent vegan, with no meat, dairy or eggs, it will be made from scratch by volunteers under Rogers-Richardson’s guidance. She expects at least nine hours of preparation and cooking time.

While reservations are not required, they are encouraged. The event is open to everyone.

Rogers-Richardson gained experience in vegetarian soul food cooking while working at Soul Vegetarian, a vegan restaurant run by the African Hebrew Israelite Nation on the south side of Chicago. She had her first encounter with vegetarian food there.

“I had a battered tofu sandwich and I was surprised at how much it tasted like the food I was already eating,” Rogers-Richardson said.

Many University students, including Rogers-Richardson, are vegetarians. In 1997, Jon Fisher, an alum and current employee of the University, started the Campus Vegetarian Society along with three friends. There are currently 623 members on the list, but only about 20 to 30 very active members.

“I think our mission statement says our purpose best,” Fisher said. “Increasing awareness of vegetarianism and promoting a cruelty-free, low-impact, vegetarian/vegan lifestyle through peaceful, non-antagonistic means.”

The society, which is a registered student organization and YMCA group, holds meetings every other week in the YMCA basement. During weeks without meetings they have potlucks in the Lutheran Campus Center.

The group also hosts guest speakers to raise awareness of issues facing vegetarians. The Campus Vegetarian Society wants to combat the common misconceptions that vegetarian food tastes bad and that vegetarians and animal rights activists tend to be overzealous.

“We give out samples of vegetarian food on the quad sometimes and people are often surprised at how good it is,” Fisher said. “We also protested against McDonald’s one time, but we just handed out pamphlets.”

While Fisher became vegetarian mainly for moral reasons, he thinks many people these days are making the switch because they are sick of the fad diets and because of the numerous health benefits.

“It really is a domino effect,” Fisher said. “When they see it worked for someone they are more willing to give it a try.”

Tom Abram, treasurer of the organization, said the dinner will show people that they will be able to eat the same types of food that taste just as good – just made with ingredients they didn’t expect.

“(It is) a good way for people to be made aware that some of their favorite foods can be made without meat,” he said.