Dishes from around the world will be made available to students and parents at the first annual International Food Festival sponsored by the International Studies Center.

The charity event will hosted on May 26 from 5-7 p.m. at the Mercy Corps headquarters at 45 S.W. Ankeny. Students may purchase punch cards for $5 and adults for $10 through May 22 during lunch in Rm. 104. Admission is free for children five and under. The cards allow for meals from five different vendors.

Cuisines from countries such as Germany, India, Japan, China, Mexico, Spain, and Lebanon will be featured at the event. A raffle also will be held, with prizes ranging from beauty products to a free stay at the Cascade Ski Club for a family of four. Entertainment for the event will be provided by a Lincoln jazz combo and the Portland Lee Dance team.

All proceeds will be donated to Island Ventures, a non-profit started by a Lincoln family to benefit underprivileged children in the Philippines. Their stated goal is to promote sustainable and environmental development with rural and urban communities on Mactan island.

The festival represents the culmination of a year’s worth of work for ISC seniors and student leaders.

“We’ve been working on it for a long time, and it’s all just come together at the end,” said student leader Rachel Lutz. “I’ve put many, many hours into it.”

“I’m excited for it,” Lutz said of the festival. “We don’t really know how many people will come yet because we haven’t pre-sold tickets, but we’re excited no matter what, (and) in the upcoming years, we’ll be able to refine it and make it better.”