“Asha” means “hope” in Hindi, and Asha Urbana-Champaign, the University chapter of the global charity Asha for Education, tries to inspire just that. On Wednesday, Asha held its monthly fundraising event, Sambar.

Sambar is a volunteer-run night during which The Red Herring restaurant in Urbana operates as a South Indian restaurant. Students and volunteers from the community work to serve up authentic dishes like sambar, the project’s namesake.

Sambar is a traditional South Indian lentil soup made with toovar dal, or pigeon peas. Another popular item served at Sambar is the dosa, a crepe made from rice and black lentils. In India, the dosa is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “You eat the sambar with the dosa. That’s one of the most popular dishes,” explains Natarajan Kumar, co-president of Asha U-C and graduate student.

Also in high demand are chaats, a street delicacy that originated in Bombay and is popular across the country. These fried dough treats are typically sold from roadside vendors throughout India. Asha typically offers between two and four variations of chaats, each about $3. Another favorite among guests is the mango milkshake.

“You can have a good meal for about $7 or so. We try to keep the prices down,” said Lavanya Anandan, graduate student and co-president of Asha.

Sambar focuses on South Indian cuisine over North Indian cuisine.

“The North Indian dishes are usually wheat-based and the South Indian dishes are usually rice-based,” Kumar said. “The dishes themselves are completely different. In South Indian cooking we make the rice into the form of crepes, which are not sweet but salty.”

Sambar attracts patrons from all ethnicities. Neil Sardesai, a first year medical student at the University, said he was impressed by the diverse turnout.

“Look at all the non-Indian people here,” he said, “It’s great. ” All proceeds from Sambar go to Indian projects dedicated to the education of underprivileged children.

These projects range from Balia Gram UnnayanSamity, a pre-primary school in West Bengal, to Chilla, a home for the children of sex workers in Kerala.

“During days they actually go to school, but at night the children are put in these shelters. The food is provided. The shelter is provided,” Kumar said. “Mothers themselves are unfortunately in this profession, but they don’t want their children to be in there. They actually want a better future for their kids. They’re supportive of this kind of project.” Asha for Education was founded in 1991 at the University of California, Berkeley.

Today it has 66 chapters worldwide and has contributed almost $4 million to at least 385 projects in India.

The Urbana-Champaign chapter of Asha was established in 1999 and currently boasts an 800-member mailing list. In addition, Asha has 40 to 50 active student volunteers and another 20 to 50 from the community.

All projects are focused on child education, an institution Asha believes is critical in driving socioeconomic change in India.

Asha U-C will hold a larger event, Sharad Savan (Autumn Rain) in the Great Hall of the Wesley Foundation, 1203 W. Green St., on Saturday, Oct. 24. This free event will feature cultural performances, including Chai Town Acapella and Indian classical and Bollywood dances. Authentic Indian food will be available for purchase along with eyebrow threading and mendhi, or henna tattooing.

The next and final Sambar of the semester will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at The Red Herring, 1209 W. Oregon St. in Urbana