Members of Kappa Kappa Psi posing during their annual food drive on the yard
The National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week starts Saturday, Nov. 15 and the Epsilon Rho chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi has collected over 100 nonperishable food items during their food drive on Tuesday to help decrease the consequences of hunger.
“Food drives help support members of the community,” said Louis Lemons, president of the Epsilon Rho Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.
“It is a way to provide nutritious food to those who may not have access to it,” he said.
According to www.stophungernow.org, hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. The vast majority of hungry people live in developing countries, where 13.5 percent of the population is chronically undernourished.
“I feel hunger is a big issue in the United States, but people aren't aware of it,” Lemons said. “We take for granted the value of food while there is someone who wishes they had just a small amount.”
Food drives are extremely popular during the holiday season, because the drives are a way to give back to the community by providing holiday dinners for multiple families.
“Today I donated nearly 20 cans and packages of noodles that I hope will be able to feed several families in the community during this time of Thanksgiving,” said Derrick Avery, senior music education major and member of Kappa Kappa Psi.
Michael Bradley, another member of the Epsilon Rho Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi said, “The food drive is awesome for charity, and it is great that the chapter came together to serve people who are less fortunate because giving back is what it is really all about.”
The goal of the food drive is not only to get the Grambling State University campus to assist in ending hunger in America, but to involve the entire community, and even other local universities.
“Food is needed year round; however I feel that no family should have to endure the holiday season without a healthy meal,” Lemons said.
“To make sure that the food drive was successful, it required us to promote the food drive around campus, the community, and through social media,” he said.
The food that is collected through the food drive will be donated to Christian Community Action located in Ruston.
“Even though we may not be able to help each individual, we feel this is a step to get others to give for this holiday season,” Lemons said. “With an event such as this you never know how much will be collected, but the plan is to get as many people as we can involved,” he said.
The food drive is dear to Kappa Kappa Psi’s heart because, they held a food drive in November of 2012 and decided that after the success of that one, that they would revitalize the idea and hope to have the same success as before.
“As college students, we don’t have everything we would like, but we do often see individuals who are less fortunate than us, and we feel that it is important to give back to the community in as many ways as possible,” said Devontae Jones, treasurer of the Epsilon Rho Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.
Karlisa Travers, a sophomore music performance major who donated can goods to the food drive explained she loves to help and share with others.
“Donating helps me to mature as a woman and helps others to survive,” she said.
Other service projects are scheduled for the upcoming spring 2015 semester.