Cookbooks for a Cause Program Jan. 30 to Support Local Food Charity

University of Southern Mississippi (USM) History Professor Dr. Andrew Haley will discuss his research into the world of Mississippi community cookbooks Jan. 30 when he presents “Cookbooks for a Cause” from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30 at the Hattiesburg Public Library. An admission charge of $10 reserves a seat for the program and supports Extra Table, a charitable initiative that provides resources for food banks in the Pine Belt.

Working with University Libraries Professor and Curator Jennifer Brannock, Dr. Haley employs the resources found in USM's Culinary Collection to examine the role of Mississippi food ways over the last century-plus, including how selling cookbooks have been the focus of fundraisers for community initiatives.

“The Culinary Collection in Special Collections at Southern Miss is not only a record of how Mississippians cooked, it is also a history of the extraordinary contributions Mississippi women made to their communities, when they sold cookbooks to build new churches, fund school trips, and beautify their towns,” Dr. Haley said. “That tradition of giving back to the community is alive today, and I hope my talk can celebrate giving in the past and the present. 

“After all, our Culinary Collection—which consists of nearly 8,000 cookbooks—has been built almost entirely through donations, including a recent donation of 1,500 books from Columbia, Mississippi. And the event itself is another opportunity to give back.  We're asking those who attend the talk Jan. 30 to make a contribution to Extra Table, and help fight hunger in the Pine Belt."

For more information on this event and how to support Extra Table, visit: https://extra-table.networkforgood.com/events/10186-cookbooks-for-a-cause.