Super Hunger Brunch to take place next weekend.

Each year, the Greater Boston Food Bank feeds 190,711 people _ equivalent to the combined populations of Cambridge and Somerville. This weekend, students going to brunch can spend a little extra money to help feed the hungry in Boston.

The 12th Annual Super Hunger Brunch will take place this coming weekend in restaurants in and around Boston. The event, sponsored by the Greater Boston Food Bank, will donate its earnings to feed the needy.

Each of the restaurants sets a price for their brunch _ either $20, $25, or $35 _ and donate all of the day's earnings to the Food Bank.

This year, over 50 restaurants will participate in the event, almost double the number from last year, according to event spokesperson Tracy Doolin. Last year, over $75,000 was raised and this year more than $100,000 is expected.

"What is unique about this event is that 100 percent of the proceeds are given to the Greater Boston Food Bank," Doolin said. Based on the initial feedback, most restaurants are expecting close to 100 people. This means that there should be over 5,000 people involved in the brunch.

The Food Bank suggests asking the wait staff to volunteer or receive donations from food suppliers in order to offset the event's cost to the restaurant. In addition, the servers often donate their tips from the day.

Though the burden of the cost is placed on the restaurants, many establishments are eager to help. "This is a worthy cause and I enjoy being a part of it," said Haris Jususdegovic, the owner of Sabur, a restaurant in Teele Square.

Sabur, in its first year of participation, does not ask for donations from food suppliers like some of the other restaurants. "Everything comes from us" and "we don't cut corners," Jususdegovic said.

In addition to the restaurant donations, close to 500 people are expected to volunteer from the Greater Boston Food Bank. The volunteers' duties range from greeting customers, staffing an information table, and collecting payment, according to Laraine Kohler, who is in charge of organizing volunteers.

In order to find many of the helpers, Kohler "reaches out to schools and corporations." Many are found through volunteer fairs and people who call the Food Bank excited to help. The event is so popular, however, that Kohler has had to start turning potential volunteers away.

The typical volunteer is a woman aged between 30 and 45. According to Kohler, many of the same people who work at the food bank donate their time for the Super Hunger Brunch. However, "there are always new, excited volunteers."

The volunteers _ many of whom choose popular restaurants such as Evoo, Rialto, and Blu _ receive a free brunch in return for their service. These restaurants are also the ones that sell out the quickest, and their reservations were full several weeks before the event.

The brunch is also fortunate to have the services of celebrity chef Jody Adams, who will be cooking at Rialto and has been working on the Super Hunger Brunch since its first year.

Restaurants are given "free reign" about menu choice, dates, and most other choices involving their commitment, Doolin said. Their only restrictions are that they must provide one of the three price options.

Most of the participating restaurants are located in Boston and surrounding suburbs such as Cambridge and Somerville, but some are located as far away as Medfield.

Local companies also donate their services. "This is the first year we have used media partners, and they are doing a great job of giving us publicity," Doolin said. WCVB-TV 5, Boston Magazine, Boston.com, and The River 92.5 FM are all helping out by plugging the event and providing volunteers. Boston Cares and the United Way also helped sponsor the brunch.

The Greater Boston Food Bank's serves nine counties of eastern Massachusetts. . 3.98 percent of this population received assistance from its member feeding programs, including food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens.

Some of the other events that the food bank sponsors are Canned Laughter, Boston College Alumni Association's Second Helping Gala, and Party for a Plate, a tasting event in which many Tufts alumni participate.