In the colorful gymnasium at the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club, several fraternity and sorority members from the University talked amongst themselves, waiting for their guests to arrive. Periodically a car would pull up to the opened door of the gym and a woman would enter with her children. The students greeted each family with a smile and handed them one of many grocery bags filled with various food items. Because of this, each family is able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner.

On Monday, the Black Greek Council held their annual Turkey Drive. This event, which started over ten years ago, provides under-privileged families in the Champaign and Urbana communities with the necessary items to create a full Thanksgiving dinner.

The first steps in the planning process involved securing a location to distribute the food. This year’s event expanded from the previous years and took place at two different locations, the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club and the Joann Dorsey Housing Authority. These organizations not only provided assistance with setting up the drive, but also informed the BGC of different families who would benefit from the event.

“[These agencies] assisted us with finding families who needed the food,” said Natalie Davis, assistant dean of students and adviser to the Black Greek Council. “The agencies are familiar with the families and may know whether someone lost a job or just their financial circumstances. We do our best to not pry too much into people’s lives but we want to make sure that we are really providing food to families in need, especially if they have children.”

The BGC then sent formal letters to local and national organizations in early Sept., detailing its cause and asking for monetary and food donations to the drive. The BGC collected many items from stores, including Wal-Mart and Aldi, with the intention of providing for approximately 100 families.

Each distributed grocery bag contained a variety of foods such as canned corn, canned cranberry sauce, canned green beans, stuffing and cornbread boxes and cake mix. Each family also received a full-sized turkey.

Brandon Common, graduate assistant for fraternity and sorority affairs, said the BGC along with several other organizations were able to raise a couple thousand dollars.

“We talked to a lot of organizations on campus,” Common said. “The Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, the United Greek Council, the Black Graduate Student Association and the Bruce D. Nesbitt African-American Cultural Center have all given us money. We’ve had a lot of people recognize that this is a good cause and they’ve really stepped up to help out.”

Members of the other Greek councils also participated in set up and distribution on Monday. The students worked from 4 to 8 p.m., distributing to families, who were sincerely grateful for the meal they will be able to share.

Raquel Flores-Clemons, mother of two, described the event as “encouraging” and appreciated the fact that the Turkey Drive gave her “one less meal to worry about.”

Taylor Beale, junior in LAS and the newly appointed president of the Black Greek Council, expressed happiness with the members of the Greek councils and the Champaign and Urbana communities for their support and enthusiasm toward the drive.

The BGC is involved in many other service ventures in the community as well. Beale stresses the importance of making an impact with services to the different communities students encounter.

“No, not all of us are from the Champaign-Urbana district, but this is our home,” Beale said. “This is our community for the next four or so years, so why not start trying to make a difference here. They need our help too.