WS Chronicle

Photo by Todd Luck

BY TODD LUCK 

THE CHRONICLE

The Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. fed hundreds at Union Baptist Church after the Martin Luther King Jr. Noon Hour Commemoration.

The King holiday is an annual day of action when AKA chapters nationwide hold a large service project. This year, the Phi Omega Chapter partnered with the Noon Hour Commemoration to serve attendees a meal with a variety of soups, bread, crackers, pizza, punch and cake. The massive Noon Hour service gave the sorority a large audience to feed.

“Every year, it gets better and better with us,” said chapter President Kenyetta Richmond.

More than 150 sorority sisters volunteered for the event. Some cooked and prepared the food. Others directed people into the large serving room and then into the dining room across the hall. Dozens manned the serving lines that had a variety of soups that included chicken noodle, vegetable, tomato and potato. Some even acted as waitresses shuttling soup between the serving and dining rooms for those who wanted seconds.

In previous years, the Phi Omega Chapter has included a clothing giveaway in their King Day project, but the chapter will be doing that in a separate event in August that will include free book bags. The chapter did maintain its long tradition of helping cleanup the historic Odd Fellows Cemetery earlier Monday morning.

The sorority also worked with local organizations like Bethesda Center for the Homeless, Samaritan Ministries, Sunnyside Ministries and Project Hope to make sure people who are homeless could come to the noon service and enjoy the food afterward. Some of the organizations shuttled them there, while the sisters also picked some up using Union Baptist vehicles. They were the first to be served.

“Those folk are our special guests,” said event chair Carolyn Parker.

Among the special guests was Mike Kelly, who has been sleeping at the overflow shelter in First Presbyterian Church. Kelly, who is on disability, has been staying with relatives until he became homeless in June. He heard about the food giveaway as the noon service was wrapping up and walked down to the church to be one of the first ones served.