The National Panhellenic Conference is proud of the Greek student efforts now underway in Alabama on behalf of hundreds of tornado victims.
"As campus closed due to the devastation, we saw our sorority and fraternity members band together to make the best of a bad situation to make a significant contribution in their storm-damaged area of the state," said Eve W. Riley, chairman of the National Panhellenic Conference.
In the historic aftermath of the devastating tornado in Alabama, it didn’t take long for students whose classes and exams were cancelled to gather forces and roll up their sleeves.
"It’s just like an assembly line here," said Ashley Getwan, a Chi Omega who is behind the scenes promoting an all-out online presence on
Facebook,
Twitter and with the UA Greek Relief
website.
Four fraternity houses on campus are now serving as an open kitchen, said Patrick Morris, a Delta Kappa Epsilon who reported the effort began by just cooking and preparing food and getting it out into surrounding neighborhoods.
As of this week, the UA Greek Relief Fund effort based at the University of Alabama is serving 10,000 hot meals a day – providing enough food and meals to cover nearly a third of the affected area torn by the devastating storm.
As Morris reported from campus: "The entire Greek community is involved."
More than 342 people were killed in the wake of the tornado outbreak, according to news reports, and hundreds may still be missing.
Getwan said everyone reached into the food stocks at the houses to make sure the food did not go to waste. She also pulled an alumni database to get the word out electronically — asking for any kind of donations that could be put to use.
"It’s coming in and we’re sending it out," she said, noting the supplies and donations have included everything from Ramen noodles to cookies and even grills to keep cooking the donations that are pouring in.
Riley asks that everyone contribute to the efforts on campus. "While sororities are known for their philanthropic efforts throughout the year, this is one of those instances where service calls in the wake of a disaster," she said.
The UA Greek Relief Fund is organized by the Greek community at Alabama, in conjunction with Greek Resource Services and Delta Kappa Epsilon’s national education foundation and the Rampant Lion Fund. Tax deductable donations to the Greek Relief Fund will go to purchase food and other supplies desperately needed by those in the community.
To donate to the UA Greek Relief Fund, click
here.