Dressed in sweat pants and book bags in hand, students filled the Loft on Thursday night to have some breakfast food and take a break from what many refer to as Hell Week.

The event titled Midnight Breakfast is held twice a year, the week before finals. Students gain admission to the event by donating a nonperishable food item.

These items are then given to local food banks within Evansville. The event is co-sponsored by the Activities Programming Board and the Student Housing Association.

Ann Fisher, catering manager for the Loft, said a team of cooks and managers prepared food for roughly 800 students.

“We always use all of the food that we cook,” Fisher said.

The lines were fairly long for food as students lined up for their share of French toast, eggs, biscuits and gravy as well as cinnamon rolls and donuts.

The food took around three hours to prepare by a team of 10 managers and a few cooks.

“I think this is a great thing for the students and the community,” Fisher said.

Normally for students to eat at the loft they must pay roughly $8. Because of this, students like Junior Buddy Stoermann jump at the chance for a cheap meal.

Stoermann comes to the midnight breakfast almost every semester. “I enjoy the chance at a cheap meal and a break from this hectic week,” he said.

Stoermann describes the week before finals as hell. He feels as though he is bombarded by presentations and papers all the while trying to prepare for the impending finals.

“It’s nice to come up here and spend time with friends,” Stoermann said.

The items that were donated the most were Ramen noodles, canned green beans and corn.

“Towards the end of the semester I have a lot of canned goods, so finding something to donate isn’t a problem,” Stoermann said. “So for me, the meal is pretty much free.”

Todd Wilson, a volunteer collecting canned goods from students for entry said the event was a great idea. He went on to say the breakfast was put on for good reasons and accomplished some good things for the Evansville community by collecting canned goods.

“It gives the students a chance to have a break from studying and get a good meal,” Wilson said.