Caring Hand to Houston's Homeless

UHCOP Delta Delta Chapter Earns 2nd Service Grant from National Kappa Psi Board to Purchase Items, Assemble Care Packages for Houston's Homeless

February 2 — The Delta Delta Chapter of the Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity has been awarded a second consecutive $1,000 Service Grant from its national fraternity to assemble "basic necessities" care packages for individuals in Houston's homeless population.

"The objective is to provide 100 homeless people with essential self-care items that can help them stay warm, take better care of themselves and reduce their risk of getting COVID-19," said Pharm.D. student and Chapter Regent Alec Garza.

The care packages will consist of such item as socks, toothpaste/toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, soap, masks, and water bottles. The chapter will again work with Mission Centers of Houston – a non-profit subsidiary of the Union Baptist Association of Texas that has provided for physical and spiritual needs to people living in Houston's inner city for the past 60 years – to distribute the packages through its facilities.

In addition to the personal care items, the chapter also will be collecting new and lightly used coats, jackets and blankets to help homeless individuals through the remaining cold weather months. Pharm.D. student and project co-coordinator Annabelle Nguyen said donation bins will be set up in the College of Pharmacy's Health 2 building. The coat-blanket drive runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7.  

The grant was one of 10 awarded to KΨ chapters by the International Kappa Psi Philanthropy Committee comprised of fraternity members from across the U.S. and Canada.