A version of "Pantry
Raid" was started in the early 1980s by Theta-Eta Zeta
at Millsaps College in the hopes of promoting brotherhood
and building a bond within the local community. During those
early years, the pounds of food that were collected rose
steadily, and community awareness of the Fraternity, and
the event, soon followed. Not only was there a sense of
pride at the Millsaps chapter, but there was a great deal
of pride developed within the surrounding community. Soon,
other fraternities, charities, and politicians were eager
to help in this cause to help stamp out hunger in their
community.
While the Millsaps food drive was
not the only food drive within Lambda Chi Alpha, the model
they used in planning and collecting food caught the attention
of the General Fraternity. With the success of "Pantry
Raid" in mind and a desire for an international philanthropy,
the General Fraternity developed the North American Food
Drive. The General Fraternity was looking for a project
that would promote unity within the Fraternity, but would
not take the focus off of the local communities of the chapters.
"Brothers Feeding Others"
was the theme as 8,000 members of more than 150 chapters
and colonies of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity completed the
largest single-day fraternity philanthropic project on November
6, 1993. The Fraternity had a goal of collecting 100,000
pounds, but when the final results were tallied, 256,416
pounds had been collected.
Coverage by CNN, dozens of local
television stations, and hundreds of newspapers, big and
small, brought positive publicity to Lambda Chi Alpha and
its fight against hunger.
On November 5, 1994, Lambda Chi Alpha
held its second North American Food Drive and collected
more than 415,000 pounds of food. Approximately, 170 chapters
participated in the event, with more than 9,000 people taking
part.
The event’s third year, 1995,
showed that the food drive was a project of international
significance, as the total exceeded one-half million pounds
for the first time. A record 185 chapters and colonies combined
to collect 551,570 pounds of food for the needy. Throughout
North America more than 10,000 students took part in the
event, making it the largest single-day collegiate philanthropic
event ever. Media coverage of the event continued to grow
as many chapters secured television and radio stations as
sponsors.
The fourth annual North American
Food Drive, held on November 2, 1996, once again set new
precedents for a single-day collegiate drive and continued
to raise international awareness for the Fraternity. With
191 chapters and colonies participating, significant regional
efforts taking place in Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Washington
D.C., and Indianapolis, and over 11,000 students taking
part, 835,588 pounds of food were collected, shattering
the old total and setting the Fraternity’s sights
on one million pounds of food for 1997. This goal was realized
on November 1, 1997, when 192 chapters and colonies across
North America collected a total of 1,127,845 pounds of food.
The goal of one million pounds was easily surpassed.
Estimates in 1997 indicated that
across North America more than 800,000 hungry people received
food during the holidays from Lambda Chi Alpha's efforts.
Meals were served at missions, soup kitchens extended their
efforts, and groceries were delivered to homes where people
had gone for days with nothing to eat. The numbers are impressive,
but the story was told in the local communities where a
needy family received a much-needed healthy meal.
One million pounds remained the goal
for 1998, but once again, the men of Lambda Chi Alpha exceeded
expectations by collecting more than 1.9 million pounds
of food. The 1998 total involved an incredible 56 percent
increase from the previous year. A goal of 2 million pounds
was set for the 1999 drive.
On November 6, 1999, 179 chapters
participated in the annual event collecting 2.5 million
pounds of food. On average, chapters collected 14,389 pounds
of food, which was a 42 percent increase from the previous
year.
On November 4, 2000, 170 chapters
and colonies participated in the drive. At the end, approximately
2.8 million pounds of food was collected. This was the second
consecutive year the Fraternity collected more than two
million pounds of food.
In 2001, the North American Food
Drive yielded 2.9 million pounds of food as 154 chapters
and colonies reported totals for the November 3 event. The
following year, Lambda Chi Alpha increased its collection
for a yearly total of 2.9 million pounds with 151 chapters
participating in the North American Food Drive on November
2, 2002. Last year, on November 1, 2003, 109 chapters and
colonies participated in the food dive collecting approximately
2.1 million pounds of food.
Last year, on November 6, 2004, 142
chapters participated in the North American Food Drive collecting
our largest year total to date—2.938 million pounds
of food.
The stories of chapter efforts and
all of the outstanding food drive accomplishments during
the past 12 years cannot be told, unfortunately, in a single
historical review. A book could be written and still some
would be left out. Some of the outstanding efforts of the
recent past, however, provide an excellent example of how
the food drive is shaping the image of Lambda Chi Alpha,
both in the community and in the Fraternity.
Lambda Chi Alpha's chapters and members
have led the way in addressing a vital issue: hunger. The
event has attracted large-scale media coverage as chapters
have worked together as an International Fraternity to help
communities in North America fight hunger. Over several
years, the "Pantry Raid" food drive had been utilized
by several of Lambda Chi Alpha's chapters and had resulted
in excellent public relations for those chapters. With the
advent of the North American Food Drive, Lambda Chi Alpha
brought its membership together to confront a serious problem
while displaying the positive impact that fraternities can
have on their local communities.
This event is Lambda Chi Alpha's
largest philanthropy
