Members of Sigma Psi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day, prepared chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwiches to feed 200 children who reside in shelters.
The Jan. 21 event was held to commemorate the national observance of the holiday and memorialize the legacy of Dr. King through service, Dr. Michelle Richards, the chapter’s president, said.
Richards said there is a correlation between children who receive free and reduced meals in school and food security. She pointed out that many families rely on the well-balanced meal provided in school to meet the nutritional needs of their children.
“When these children are not in school they run the risk of barely having one well-balanced home-cooked meal,” Richards said. “It is our goal to provide children who are residing in shelters with a warm home-cooked lunch to ensure they receive at least one well-balanced meal on this day off from school.”
The food was donated by the chapter and prepared at a Wyandanch church, which donated its facilities. The food was later delivered to a shelter in the Town of Huntington.
Dr. King left us with this quote to ponder: ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?’ So, on this day we celebrate the gifts that Dr. King gave to mankind through our service to our children in need,”Richards said.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc is the nation’s oldest Greek letter sorority founded by black college-educated women.
It was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington D.C. on Jan. 15, 1908. Since then, the sorority has flourished into a globally impactful organization of nearly 300,000 college-trained members. Sigma Psi Omega chapter was founded June 23, 1990 in Hauppauge, and is based in Bay Shore.