The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Staff Senate will host its annual Fall Open House on Wednesday, Nov. 15, to raise money and collect donations for holiday food baskets for UA Little Rock families in need. 

The event is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Donaghey Student Center Upper Concourse.

The open house will offer a reception for UA Little Rock employees to network, win door prizes, and participate in a teacup auction and silent auction. 

The open house kicks off Staff Senate’s annual Helping Hands Project. Proceeds from the open house will be used to put together holiday meal baskets for UA Little Rock employees and students who would otherwise not be able to provide a traditional holiday dinner for their families.

Auction tickets are $5 for six tickets. Participants also can receive one free auction ticket, up to a maximum of five, for every two items donated from the list of items needed to create the holiday meal baskets.

Items needed include stuffing mix, cornbread mix, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, macaroni and cheese, green beans, green peas, black-eyed peas, corn, rice, canned potatoes, canned yams, cranberry sauce, cake mix and frosting, and nonperishable juices.

Donations for the food baskets can be dropped off in the donation boxes located across campus in the College of Business, Department of Human Resources, Donaghey Student Center, the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, and Ottenheimer Library.

To purchase auction tickets, contact Yuliana Barajas at yxbarajas@ualr.edu or 501-569-3324.

To donate items for the auction, contact Paula Rogers at parogers@ualr.edu or 501-663-5541.

In the upper right photo, University of Arkansas at Little Rock staff members enjoy good food and company during the 2016 Fall Open House in the Donaghey Student Center.