Students and community members alike will be able to use their taste buds to judge the best pizza in town to raise some dough for a cause.

The Northern Michigan University Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has partnered with the Culinary Students of Northern Michigan University (CSNMU) to present the Third Annual Hometown Pizza Taste-Off. The event is $5 a person and all proceeds will benefit the Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family program. Tasting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17 in the Jacobetti Complex.

The Hometown Taste-Off is a blind taste test of different restaurants that serve pizza in the greater Marquette area, said senior public relations major and PRSSA executive board member Abbie Beekman. Participants will be served a piece of pizza from every restaurant and at the end, they will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite.

There are eight restaurants participating in the event this year and each restaurant will be donating at least 10 pizzas, which means there will be more pizza to go around compared to past years.

Some of the local restaurants competing for the title of best hometown pizza are Toarmina’s, Aubree’s, Tino’s and the Dry Dock, all in the hopes of raising money for the Adopt-a-Family program.

“It’s a super fun time for our organization and the money we raise always goes to a good cause,” Beekman said.

In the past, money raised by this event has benefited the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum and the NMU Student Flexible Aid Fund, which is a scholarship designated to help students who encounter unexpected financial struggles.

Members of the PRSSA have been planning this event since the beginning of the semester, Beekman said, and it is a great way for the community to work with the university for a common goal.

“We have had an equal number of community members and NMU students who participate,” Beekman said. “The event itself brings parts of the community to campus and therefore, shows campus different parts of the community.”

CSNMU is working with PRSSA as well to provide desserts and access to the kitchen facilities.

“Having CSNMU’s knowledge of food preparations in combination with PRSSA’s planning and outreach to the community has helped build a successful partnership that will help the Hometown Taste-Off run smoothly,” junior public relations major and campaign coordinator Samantha Modell said.

This year PRSSA has a goal of raising $1,000 for the Adopt-A-Family program and in the past, the goal has always been met Modell said.

Students who decide to get out to the Jacobetti Complex will have to opportunity to see what else is available in the community when it comes to finding dinner.

“There’s a lot here that people don’t utilize,” Danielle Hellios, junior social work major, said. “People always go to Applebee’s or Buffalo Wild Wings, but you could go to a cool local Marquette restaurant and switch it up.”