During Watermelon Fest, Lambda Chi challenges the sororities of Mississippi State University to compete against one another to see who can collect the largest amount of canned foods. The cans are then donated to the Salvation Army of Starkville.
Watermelon Fest coordinator Philip Vanderleest said the food helps out the Salvation Army substantially.
“Last year the MSU sororities and the town of Starkville helped raise 118,215 pounds of food,” Vanderleest said. “We completely stocked the Salvation Army food bank for basically a whole year.”
B.J. Andol, director of Starkville’s Salvation Army, said the food donated from Watermelon Fest is critical to the organization’s food bank. She said without the food drive, the Salvation Army would have to buy supplies using donated money.
“Every year our students come together and do this for us,” Andol said. “We couldn’t make it if it weren’t for Watermelon Fest.”
The Lambda Chi food drive is held in conjunction with the National Food Drive, which is held in November. From September through November, the fraternity will work to collect food from the city of Starkville. Members of the fraternity drops off bags throughout the city with notes explaining the food drive.
Vanderleest said Starkville residents usually donate about 50,000 pounds of food while sororities help collect about 60,000 to 70,000 pounds worth of canned food.
He said the fraternity wants Watermelon Fest to be fun for the sororities. Various events in Watermelon Fest include games, a watermelon decorating competition among the sororities and a Watermelon Fest pageant, with a queen crowned to represent her sorority.
Emily Graham, Kappa Delta sorority’s coordinator for Watermelon Fest said her sorority collected the most food last year.
“We try to get our hometowns involved. They want to donate because it goes to a good cause,” Graham said. “Each year we try to raise more cans than the year before. Watermelon Fest sets the starting point for the rest of the year.”
Vanderleest said MSU’s Lambda Chi chapter ranks among the top food-collecting chapters in the world.
“In the last four years or so, we’ve been ranked in the top four of Lambda Chi chapters internationally,” he said. “We’re up there with these schools who have [much larger student bodies].”