Burrito Brothers

GAMBIER, Ohio (May 28, 2012)

Kenyon students have offered a helping hand to New Directions, a non-profit shelter in Mount Vernon that battles domestic violence.

During the just-concluded academic year, Alpha Delta Phi members turned a late-night meal service into a $2,000 donation to the agency. Volunteers in the fraternity's After Hours program made burritos at the Ganter Price Hall kitchen and sped deliveries around campus one night during most weeks.

Kenyon students and President S. Georgia Nugent also collectively chipped in $1,350 to New Directions to boost a fund-raising dinner in support of the agency that runs a shelter for victims. Members of Alpha Delti Phi, the Theta Delta Phi sorority, and the Ladies lacrosse team as well as sexual misconduct advisors and other students contributed to the event, said Abigail Westcott '12, who was a sexual misconduct advisor.

The donations were "absolutely crucial," said Mary Hendrickson, executive director at New Directions. "We really appreciate it. Most of our grants over the last few years have just been flat-lined. This comes from local students who do this because they care about the issue.

"We have a lot of volunteers from Kenyon also. They answer the hotline. They work with the children and play with the children. It's part of normalizing life for them. One Kenyon student taught a little boy to play guitar. It's wonderful."

Aaron Yeoh '12 was the Alpha Delta Phi community service coordinator and he won the E. Malcolm Anderson Cup, recognized on Honors Day as having the done the most for the College during the year. "We felt it was important that our work supported something that was tangible and close," he said. "The domestic abuse shelter - we've seen them as a very important aspect of the community. As Greeks, we're held to a standard of community service. It's just a good thing to do."

The burritos were cranked out from about 9:00 p.m. to midnight one night a week, often a Thursday. Quesadillas were also sometimes on the menu, along with French fries. Deliveries were done via automobile and bicycle, fraternity member Dylan Chapman '14 said. "We'll have about eight people working on a given night. Four chefs and three or four delivery people and people taking orders," Chapman said. "Once you get into it, it's easy. It's a lot of fun."

Lessons are learned along the way, Yeoh said. "We're basically running a small business. And we've learned how to make a pretty delicious burrito."