Family and friends of former SF State student Wallace Richards will be holding a benefit for the missing man.

The “Bring Wallace Home” benefit will be held at the Phillips Temple CME Church on 3332 Adeline St. in Berkeley on Feb. 19. Its purpose is to raise money to help his family continue their search and raise awareness about the case.

“This case is definitely not closed,” said Belinda Richards, his mother. “We’ll take any information. You never know what’s important.”

Wallace Richards, a 23- year-old Berkeley resident, was last seen on the morning of Nov. 10 after dropping off a friend in San Francisco. The car he was driving - a gold 2002 Mercedes Benz C240 - was discovered less than a week later by police on Hesperian Boulevard at Embers Way in San Lorenzo.

His mother hopes that at least 100 people will attend the benefit. “If God is good, we hope for all 400 seats to be filled,” she said.

According to Wallace Richards’s girlfriend, Sabrina Ford, there have been no new updates in his disappearance. “We would love to get the word out to the SF State community (about the benefit),” she said.

Wallace Richards was planning on re-enrolling at SF State in January to finish his degree, according to his mother. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, a lightweight hunter-green and a gray North Face jacket, according to www.wallacerichards.com, a Web site that his family and friends have set up. He is African-American, 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 235 pounds.

The Web site also states that the City of Berkeley has announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.

If anybody has any information about Wallace Richards, they are encouraged to call the Berkeley Police Missing Persons/Detective Division at 510-981-5900.