Lehigh sorority sisters take on food insecurity with “Beat the Numbers” drive | Bethlehem Area

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – All month long, organizations and individuals have been collecting food and raising money for those in our community who are hungry.

A sorority at Lehigh University is also joining the fight against food insecurity by hosting its Beat the Numbers food drive.

“4.8 million people in the US are food insecure, so we are trying to collect 480 food items this month,” said Isabelle Marquis, who is the Vice President of Philanthropy at Lehigh’s chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta.

It is a month-long passion project for Isabelle and her Alpha Gamma Delta sorority sisters at Lehigh University as they work to not only collect food but show people it’s okay to ask for help.

“There is just this huge stigma around it and that prevents people from accessing those resources,” said Marquis.

It is a passion for many of these young people that stretches beyond the month of September.

“I got to travel to Thailand my junior year of high school, and I got to work with a primary school to help build mushroom bags and raise food security there,” said Marquis.

“When I was in high school, I started a nonprofit based in my hometown of Philadelphia around food insecurity, and so I feel like we were all naturally drawn to this sorority that is consistently committed to addressing food insecurity,” said Samantha Sandhaus, the previous Vice President of Philanthropy.

In addition to the stigma, it’s something they know hits close to home, as many on college campuses struggle to get that next meal.

“You’re traveling to a different place, on a meal plan, paying for food for the first time in your life; it can be a difficult transition,” said Sandhaus.

Events like this also offer the opportunity to learn about what is happening beyond campus.

“Understanding what the local citizens of Bethlehem are going through is very important for us to be more conscientious citizens and committed citizens to this community we are being placed in for the next four years,” said Sandhaus.

That food drive, benefiting New Bethany, is going through the end of the month.