Community members will plunge into icy river to support local soup kitchen

13th annual Plunge for Hunger this February

by Noel Teter

Willimantic, CT (01/24/2024) — Every February, upstanding Willimantic community members submerge themselves in the freezing waters of the Natchaug River to raise money to help feed the hungry. This February is no different, with the 13th annual Olga Ezis Plunge for Hunger taking place Feb. 3 at noon at Lauter Park in Willimantic.

Donations to this year's Plunge will be matched by the Windham-based Pageau Trust for the benefit of the Covenant Soup Kitchen in downtown Willimantic. The overall fundraising goal is $150,000.

The lively annual event is spearheaded by the Eastern Connecticut State University men's rugby team and features dozens of Eastern students and community members-many wearing costumes-diving into the icy Natchaug River.

This year's fundraiser got a boost from Eastern's union for administrative faculty, SUOAF, which donated $3,000, doubled to $6,000 by the Pageau Trust.

"These donations keep the doors open and food on the table," said Ray Aramini, men's rugby coach and board member for Covenant Soup Kitchen. "Every dollar donated is profit for the soup kitchen ... This fundraiser is only about feeding people."

Donations can be made through the Covenant Soup Kitchen's website at: https://www.covenantsoupkitchen.org/polar_plunge.htm

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 30 states and eight countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 13 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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Plungers run into the Natchaug River in February 2023 for the annual Olga Ezis Plunge for Hunger.