The Alabama Oyster Social has raised $35,000 for a shellfish lab in Auburn.
The Opelika-Auburn News reports the donation was given to the Auburn University Shellfish Laboratory in Dauphin Island during a recent event. The social brought out more than 600 attendees as many made their way through the line at a 32-foot bar, which included around five thousand raw oysters.
Chef David Bancroft says the response was the greatest "by far."
Community members, prominent chefs and farmers gathered for the third year on January 28th to celebrate and raise funds for the Alabama oyster community. Each farmer had a space at the bar, serving their harvest and allowing attendees to sample and compare different oysters
Auburn University was recently denied renewal of its lease for the lab.