What’s better than Ethiopian food? Ethiopian food for a good cause!

A couple of years ago as a grad student at Eastern University, I took the train every day from Lancaster to school and back. It was a unique time of life, reading textbooks by development economists while whizzing (read: rattling) through southeastern Pennsylvania farmland. At Paoli I’d transfer from Amtrak to the Philly regional train, which stopped at the St. Davids station, a mile and a half walk from class.

Photo by Fig Lancaster

One January day, at the beginning of the spring term, I was put in touch with a student living in Lancaster who’d be joining us for a research methods class. His name was Zemedkun, and we met while taking the train to class together.

Zemedkun is a great guy. He works for Mennonite Central Committee and is from Ethiopia. This past April, he and his family hosted an Ethiopian meal at a church in downtown Lancaster to raise funds for his daughter’s college tuition. Katie and I went to it, as did some other friends, and we can all attest that both the food and the company are amazing. Fig Lancaster did a great write-up about it after the meal.

Photo by Fig Lancaster

The good news is that there’s another one scheduled, and it’s right around the corner. It’ll happen in just a week and a half, on July 23 and 24 at East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church (432-434 E Chestnut Street, Lancaster), from 12:15 to 2:30pm. You can stop by anytime during that window. All the info is available at the Ethiopian Meal Fundraiser website, and that’s where you’ll need to RSVP as well. I’m planning to be there, and I hope to see you there too! If you’d like to go at the same time, let me know.