The ISU Block and Bridle Club is providing an alternative to the stressful shopping season by selling holiday cheese and summer sausage boxes at Iowa State.

Sale of the cheese and sausage began Thursday and will run until the end of the semester.

For the past 23 years, the club has processed, packaged and sold its gift boxes as a major fund-raiser.

“Since this is our biggest fund-raiser, all members are required to help out,” said Kelli Borman, co-chairwoman of the cheese and summer sausage sale. “The money goes towards various activities in the club such as National Block and Bridle Conference and our Veishea food stand.”

Barry Bradford, co-chairman of the cheese and summer sausage sale, said the club produces the summer sausage at the ISU Meat Laboratory under the supervision of the Federal Meat Inspector and meat lab personnel and faculty advisers.

“We prepare the summer sausage from the very beginning,” said Bradford, sophomore in animal science. “We see the process through all of the way until they are individually vacuum packed to sell.”

This year the club has 4,000 20-ounce sticks of summer sausage and 1,500 pounds of cheese from Wisconsin for sale in various gift boxes.

Borman, sophomore in animal science, said there are holiday gift boxes available in all sizes. There’s a meat lover’s fantasy that includes all summer sausage, as well as a cheese lover’s box, which includes three-1 lb. blocks of colby, cheddar and monterary jack.

“We hope to have everything gone by finals week,” Borman said.

The club will be selling the products by order forms that can be picked up at Room 119 of Kildee Hall or on the Internet at www.public.iastate.edu/~ans/Images/bbsale.html. Orders can be either shipped or picked up at Room 120 of Kildee Hall.

The club also will be selling on campus Dec. 2 at Veterinary Medicine building in the front lobby of the main entrance and on Dec. 3 at the Lush Auditorium of Kildee Hall.