Since Nov. 2, Western Michigan University’s Lambda Chi Alpha has been distributing approximately two thousand grocery bags on neighborhood doorsteps throughout the Kalamazoo and Portage area. The bags contain flyers requesting canned food donations, to be placed in the bags provided and left on their doorsteps on Saturday morning.
Beginning Wednesday, Lambda Chi Alpha will be asking for donations at the Flagpoles area in the center of WMU’s campus, where they have set up a small tent with a table and chairs. They will be stationed at the flagpoles for a 48 hour period, collecting donations to benefit their national charity event.
Members of their fraternity will be at the flagpoles until noon Friday. On Saturday morning, they will be collecting the distributed bags, which will then be weighed and later picked up by their local food bank, Loaves and Fishes of Kalamazoo.
Lambda Chi Alpha was founded on Nov. 2, 1909, and has hosted the North American Food Drive since 1993; however, the WMU Chapter has been organizing food drives in Kalamazoo for several years prior. The WMU chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha was founded in 1966.
“We feel that it is extremely important for our organization to get involved in our local community,” said Brendan Chesley, a WMU senior and vice president of the Lambda Tau Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha. “As students, we realize that we are very privileged individuals, and therefore have an obligation to help serve our community. Two of our core values as members of Lambda Chi are service and stewardship, which we take very seriously.”
Lambda Chi Alpha will also have a table in front of Hardings’ Marketplace at 5161 West Main St. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m on Nov. 7. Donations will be dropped off, sorted, and then taken to Loaves and Fishes.
