by Marion Givhan
Junior Editor
Katie Snyder (C’17), a member of Kappa Omega, will see her “brain baby” come alive on February 10 as her sorority hosts an event called “Sewanee Hearts and Grocery Carts” in collaboration with the Community Action Committee. The CAC, based out of Otey Parish Church in downtown Sewanee, helps struggling families by providing financial assistance and acting as a food bank. Unfortunately, according to the event’s Facebook page, the CAC is the last stop on the Second Harvest Food truck route and is “often low on funds during the winter months.”
Therefore, in order to raise money for the CAC and gather canned goods for the families of the greater Sewanee community, KO and CAC will raffle off items donated by local businesses and baskets contributed by student organizations (Greek or non-Greek) on campus. Raffle tickets will be available at McClurg during lunch from February 2-6. A dollar equates to three raffle tickets, and one canned food item will earn five tickets. There will be a competition for the event to see which team or organization can raise the most canned goods to win an “ultimate mystery prize,” according to the Facebook page. Other possible wins from the raffle tickets include gift certificates to Ivy Wild, Julia’s, Blue Chair, Crossroads, a free brunch for two at the Sewanee Inn, and many more.
Snyder connected with the CAC during her freshman year at Sewanee. She started out in the Finding Your Place program, and she said, “I found my place by giving back to the community. We are all very fortunate to be at such a beautiful school in a beautiful place, but a lot of people don’t realize the reality that five miles down the road, children don’t know when they’ll get their next meal.” She started working for the CAC, helping to unload food trucks and bagging food for families, “You can only put so much in those bags, and it’s hard to figure out what to put in only one bag of groceries.” She mentioned how lucky she feels to have sorority sisters who have backed her up and who have taken this opportunity to make a difference. “We should do everything we can to preserve the Domain and its people,” she said. Whether students contribute by donating a dollar or picking up an extra jar of peanut butter at the Piggly Wiggly to contribute, Snyder encouraged students to get involved. For more information, go to the Facebook page, find the event called “Sewanee Hearts and Grocery Carts,” give it a thumbs up, and contribute!