Some University fraternity members will be sneaking around Carbondale houses Friday night, not to play a Halloween weekend prank, but in an effort get community involvement in a food drive.

On Friday night, members from the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity will be distributing grocery bags to homes in the area to collect non-perishable food items for the Good Samaritan Food Pantry in Carbondale.

Mike Haithcoat, vice-president of Lambda Chi Alpha, said he hopes the food drive will have a positive impact on the community, banishing typical Greek stereotypes.

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We’re here for a reason, not just for parties, but to serve a purpose, he said. There are people in Jackson County who need food, and we are the ways and means to give it.

Haithcoat said the fraternity’s food drive is unique to other Greek community service projects because children from the DeSoto school are also helping collect food items.

David Brewer, academic advisor for the fraternity, said the food drive was suggested to the Beta Club the school’s honor society club as a community service project for its members.

They felt it was a high idea to have college students teach kids about charity.

Tom Wheeler, the Lambda Chi Alpha publicity chairman, said the drive last year was a success. He said Lambda Chi Alpha collected nearly a ton food and hopes to double that amount this year.

Wheeler said the food drive is an international event with other Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternities in America and Canada. He said the collection last year exceeded the international fraternity goal of 400,000 lbs. of food.

Haithcoat said the only problem he expects some competition from a Boy Scout food drive occurring the same weekend.

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We attempted to work with the Boy Scouts, Haithcoat said. But they decided it wasn’t in their best interests to expand their drive.

Bags will be dropped off at houses on Friday night and will be picked up on Saturday, November 4 by the fraternity. Wheeler said participants are welcome to drop off perishables to either the Lambda Chi Alpha house, 609 S. Poplar St., or at the various grocery stores, such as Kroger and Martin Foods.