Thanksgiving Outreach History
Lambda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity Inc. has been a melting pot since its foundation in 1975. Ever since then, men from different races, ages, and backgrounds have joined and continued to make our beloved fraternity one of the most sought after Greek organizations. But aside from all the differences, we also share many aspects of our lives. One of those is the struggle that many of us have encountered throughout our childhoods. We may remember having a hard time during the Holidays. Gratefully, we have overcome many of our setbacks and are now in a better position to help those that continue to struggle. With this in mind in 1998, Alpha Iota chapter established its first Annual Thanksgiving Outreach.
When the program began 22 years ago, the simple idea was to sponsor a single family for Thanksgiving. It was not meant to be a big gesture; we were just trying to scrape a few dollars together to provide a family with a hot meal for the holiday. There was no organization or formal application process, but somehow we came across eight families in need. Unable to choose which family was the most deserving, we decided to sponsor them all. This marked the beginning of Lambda Theta Phi’s annual Thanksgiving Outreach. The following year we were able to feed 14 families and that number has continued to grow thereafter.
Our Thanksgiving Outreach is a lot more structured and organized and is geared towards feeding as many families as we possibly can. Our chapter is dedicated to fundraising throughout the year. We have set up events where all proceeds go towards the Thanksgiving Outreach. Fundraising, along with the generous donations we receive, have allowed us to continue to help our community one family at a time.
We have set up applications for both sponsorships and for families looking to be sponsored. Through the help of many of our peers, we distribute the applications, and after having set due dates for these applications we are allowed to review and choose the most deserving families. These fortunate families will then receive confirmation via a telephone call.
With the families in mind, we set up our outreach to be able to deliver the meals to their homes. Last year, with over 30 families chosen, we were able to deliver each meal. This could not be done without the help of hundreds of volunteers that participate every year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day. Thank you for supporting our event!
We have been grateful for the vast support that our Philanthropy has gained throughout the years from businesses, corporations, clubs, fraternities, sororities, members of the community, and family members. The support has come in the form of sponsorships, volunteer drivers, distribution of applications, and planning of the event. With your help, it is our goal to soon expand out of our Southern California communities and to be able to keep our numbers increasing every year.
Thank you and we look forward to working with you on our next Thanksgiving Outreach.