Two student organizations at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville collected more than 400 food items in a donation competition for the Community Hope Center in Bethalto.
The Lambda Theta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) International Honor Society in Education and the Delta Sigma Pi, Professional Business Fraternity delivered the donation to the homeless shelter on Feb. 10.
“Makenzi Fee, the president of Delta Sigma Pi, and I became aware of the need for food items at the Community Hope Center, particularly boxed nonperishable items,” said Sierra Hyman, a senior elementary education major and KDP co-president with Kalli Hentis, a senior studying speech-language pathologist.
“Christmas is generally a big time for donations, but we wanted to make sure food was well-stocked at the Center for the months after,” Hyman continued. “We wanted to make a big impact, and we thought teaming up organizations would be a great way to do so.”
“In the end, it doesn't matter who won,” she said. “It's all about putting food on the table for our local families in need.”
Barbara Martin, EdD, is the KDP faculty advisor.
KDP is an international society whose membership is 1.2 million and is limited to the top 20 percent of those entering the field of education, according to Martin. The student organization was founded in 1911 and was one of the first discipline-specific honor societies. SIUE’s Lambda Theta Chapter started in 1967. The chapter has approximately 80 members, who must maintain a grade point average minimum of 3.0.
Photo:
Grocery carts of food were the result of a friendly competition between Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) International Honor Society in Education and the Delta Sigma Pi, Professional Business Fraternity. L-R: Sierra Hyman, KDP co-president and Makenzi Fee, president of Delta Sigma Pi.