Today@Sam Article

Local Alumni Club To Host Second Chili Fundraiser

Oct. 24, 2016
SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt

The Sam Houston State University Walker County Alumni Club will join forces with City Hall Café on Nov. 7 to honor the university’s value of service by giving back to the area with the second annual Community Chili Luncheon. 

AlumniChiliLunchFlyerParticipants can support the Good Shepherd Mission’s food pantry by ordering chili at City Hall Café from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. Take-out orders for the Nov. 7 fundraiser also can be placed Nov. 1-4 by calling 936.439.6113. 

Food, with a drink, will cost $10, and all proceeds will benefit Huntsville’s Good Shepherd Mission.

“The SHSU motto, ‘The measure of a Life is its Service,’ is the guide that many current students use for encouragement to provide an endless number of community service hours. But it isn’t forgotten among the alumni once they have graduated,” said Justin Haynes, assistant director for clubs and constituent programs for the SHSU Office of Alumni Relations. “The community service luncheon provides an opportunity for the alumni club, university, and the Huntsville community to come together as one for the common good of helping those in need.”

In its inaugural year, the Community Chili Luncheon raised more than $2,200 to complete the mission’s kitchen remodel, bringing it up to code and allowing the mission to provide better service to the community, according to Haynes.

The check was presented to the mission during the 95th annual Tree of Light Ceremony in front of thousands of students, staff, faculty, and the local community.

The activity won the Alumni Association a 2016 Council for Advancement of Support and Education “Silver” award for “Best Low-Cost Alumni Program.”

The Good Shepherd Mission serves the local community by offering more than 2,000 hot meals; donating groceries to 650 households, including well over 500 children; providing more than 1,000 beds; and distributing 6,500 articles of clothing each month to those in need.

One third of Huntsville’s population is elderly, many are disabled, and most are of the working poor class. 

“The people are what make this town great, so we always strive to keep up the tradition of serving our local organizations,” said Walker County Alumni and Friends Club treasurer Sandra Hanscomb.  

For more information, contact Haynes at 936.294.2403 or justinhaynes@shsu.edu.

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