CCE, Greeks partner service projects for Poverty Awareness Week

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Poverty Awareness Week, the WSU Center for Civic Engagement’s (CCE) campaign to combat insufficient living conditions, begins this Sunday, Nov. 16.

In an effort to support local and national organizations with the same mission, the Greek community will host four separate service events Sunday.

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) will host a 96 Hour Greek Food Drive, beginning Sunday at 12 p.m. at the Walmart on Bishop Boulevard, said IFC Director of Service Kyle Geiger. This event will last until 12 p.m. Wednesday.

The food drive will span the length of 96 hours and 576 individual volunteer hours will be invested by Greek chapter members.

“Up to six people can be there at a time,” Geiger said.

On the opposite side of Pullman, business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi will be hosting their own food drive between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Dissmore’s IGA.

Delta Delta Delta sorority and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity are combining efforts to raise financial support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in a Sincerely Yours, Letter-Writing Campaign.

The campaign involves both chapters writing letters that ask for research and treatment donations to family and friends, said Tri-Delta member Melissa Kipersztok. The event takes place from 1-4 p.m. at the Delta Delta sorority.

Traditionally, the letter writing event has been an internal activity between the chapters. However, Kipersztok said that their philanthropy, St. Jude, is so well known they decided to expand outside of their chapters.

“The public is invited to participate in the letter writing,” she said.

This helps increase the amount of support they raise for research and treatment.

Research and treatment is part of the hospital’s mission is to find advanced cures and preventative measures against catastrophic pediatric diseases through, according to St. Jude’s official website.

Whether treatment costs can be covered by a suffering family or not, Kipersztok said, St. Jude will still follow through with it.

In addition to research and treatment, donations will help support short-term housing facilities provided by St. Jude’s named Tri Delta Place, she said. Families with children in treatment will have a place to stay for up to eight days.

This housing facility was named after the sorority in honor of their $60-million pledge made over 10 years, tridelta.org states.

This is made possible because of financial contributions, Kipersztok said. Any Greek member participating will receive one CCE service hour for participating.

Later that evening, between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., a film screening of “A Place at the Table” will be hosted in Todd Auditorium. The documentary, produced by Participant Media, focuses on hunger dilemmas within the United States.

“A Place at the Table” is described by Participant Media’s website as a story which demonstrates how economic, social, and cultural issues of hunger can be resolved by affordable healthy food.

The IFC and Panhellenic Council, in collaboration with the Muslim Student Association, will host “A Place at the Table.”

The CCE will continue to support more events for Poverty Awareness Week throughout the week. A list of events can be found at cce.wsu.edu/awareness-weeks/paw/events/.

Reporting by Lance Lijewski