THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160725
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
An Old Dominion University fraternity recently got into the holiday spirit early.
Courtesy of the school's Lambda Chi Alpha chapter, there will be fewer hungry mouths in Hampton Roads this season.
After more than a weeklong drive, on Nov. 7 the fraternity donated more than a ton of food to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.
The project was part of Lambda Chi Alpha National Fraternity's North American Food Drive, Brothers Feeding Others.
The effort began at ODU on Oct. 28, when some 30 fraternity brothers began placing 2,400 paper bags on the porches of homes in Larchmont, Ghent, Colonial Place and around the university. Residents had not been contacted. Instead, each bag had a flier explaining the drive and requesting donations, along with a note of thanks.
On Nov. 4 the bags were retrieved and collected in a bin at the fraternity's house at 1908 Hampton Blvd. A total of 2,249 pounds of canned goods and non-perishables had been donated, 249 pounds over the fraternity's goal.
``All the neighborhoods were really receptive,'' said Jody Greenwood, external affairs vice president of the fraternity and the person in charge of the drive. ``Our basic purpose was to help the needy here in Hampton Roads.''
The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia is a Norfolk-based organization that provides food and assistance to Hampton Roads' underprivileged, working through more than 300 charitable agencies.
``So far, this is the only fraternity from ODU to do a food drive this season,'' said Mary McLaughlin, a food drive coordinator for the foodbank. ``Usually we have two or three do it, but this fraternity's is always the biggest.''
This is the third consecutive year that the group has held the drive. The first two efforts raised around 700 pounds each.
``We weren't as organized the last two years,'' said Greenwood, a junior who is majoring in electrical engineering. ``Everyone was really involved this time.''
The ODU Lambda Chi Alpha organization is one of 222 chapters across the United States and Canada that took part in the North American Food Drive. Approximately 1,500 brothers collected 529,311 pounds of food, easily exceeding the 500,000-pound goal.
Greenwood said that the drive's success, nationally and locally, shows the positive contributions fraternities can make.
``We're really proud this came off so well,'' Greenwood said. ``Frats usually get a lot of bad press.'' by CNB