The Neighborhood United Church of Christ will be holding a Mardi Grasthemed fundraiser on Friday, February 23 from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.

The fundraiser is meant to benefit two ministries of the church–its Neighborhood Cafe and Open Mic Night. The Neighborhood Cafe is a ministry run by the church, although many of the volunteers are not related to the church in any official way.

“The purpose of the cafe is two-fold: It is a free meal on Tuesday night for anyone who wants to come,” said Holly Reid, an elder with the church. “And our mission is just to provide community for people, so that they have more than a free meal, but to be a in a relationship with people who care about them.”

Similarly, the Neighborhood Open Mic Night is a program that the church has operated since November to help build community. The open mic night is held on the last Friday of every month at the church and is open to anybody.

“The motto of Neighborhood Open Mic is that we want to hear your voice,” said Reid. “Sometimes people come in and sing, sometimes people come in and tell stories, sometimes people come in and read poetry.”

The Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser will take place on the next open mic night and will feature games and cajun cuisine. Suggested donation is $5-8 dollars, or whatever attendees can afford.