On September 26th, the Phi Chapter will be volunteering at Operation Food Bank in St. Louis
Established in 1981 to address the growing problem of hunger, Operation Food Search has become the largest distributor of free food in the bi-state area helping to feed the region’s poor.
Operation Food Search distributes more than 1.5 million pounds of food and household items to 250 community partner agencies that in turn feed 100,000 poor people every single month. Nearly half the recipients are children. The OFS service area includes 30 Illinois and Missouri counties surrounding the City of St. Louis.
Their mission is to provide individuals in need with food and other basic necessities to help them alleviate the burden of hunger and its consequences.
National Philanthropy
Sigma Alpha Mu members, through their chapters, participate in service in the communities in which their respective colleges are located. Bounce for Beats, a national service project, began in the 1960s. Scores of chapters bouncing a basketball to symbolize the heartbeat—or now conducting other basketball-related events—have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes including the American Heart Association and Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Since 1995, proceeds from the event have benefited the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
In 2005, ΣΑΜ chose the Alzheimer’s Association as its service project where they raise donations for Alzheimer’s Research.Alzheimer’s Association’s fastest growing individual named fund, The Judy Fund, has raised more than $2.5 million. Association board member Marshall Gelfand was instrumental in forging the partnership between the two organizations and received the fraternity’s Certificate of Merit in 2005, which is awarded to ΣΑΜ alumni whose service and achievements in community endeavors are worthy of special recognition. Donations raised by the fraternity are part of The Judy Fund, established in 2003 on behalf of Mr. Gelfand’s wife who in 1995, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Mrs. Gelfand died in 2004.