 On Monday night, college students from across the Boston area gathered for an Eat for Equity Open Mic Night. The night featured free food and scheduled performances by student groups from schools like Berkeley School of Music and Boston University. And as for the admission fee, attendees simply had to bring one thing. Food. Cans of it. The Mic Night doubled as a fundraiser where all monetary and food proceeds went to local food pantries. The event organizer said the fundraiser was a way to give back to her city. I'm from Boston. I feel like all the schools in Boston, all they do is like take up space and like displace people. So it's nice to like have an opportunity to give back. The event was hosted by residents of the Harriet E. Richards Cooperative House, also known as her house. A place provides undergraduate women at Boston University with alternative and affordable on-campus housing. The president of her house, Margaret Ortwort, said the charity event was designed to bring people from all different backgrounds together. We chose to have performers this time around so that we could kind of highlight some of the local talent that we have and also have a way to kind of bring people together. As for the performers, many of them got the chance to promote their music and their bands. For some, like Ania Harris, a singer and songwriter from Boston University, it was their first time performing the music for an audience ever. Growth can't happen within my own confinement, so I have to reach out and step out to do other things if I want myself to grow. And this was a step out, do other things so that I can grow eventually. The Eat for Equity Open Mic Night ended up raising over $230 and 50 non-perishable items to be donated to food pantries across the Boston area. All donations will be donated to Rosie Place Pantry and the Roxbury Soup Kitchen. In the spring, her house plans to host another Open Mic Night for students to enjoy. Reporting from Boston for BUTV 10, I'm Lainey Broussard.