Alfred University CSI chapter assists struggling families in Andover Central School District

ALFRED, NY – Alfred University’s Alpha Upsilon Xi chapter of Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society International (CSI) recently assisted several struggling families in the Andover Central School district. The effort was part of the chapter’s year-long advocacy and community outreach initiative.

Recognizing the difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic has caused for lower income families, CSI chapter leaders collaborated with the Andover Central School District to support 15 students and their families identified as at-risk for hunger and other difficulties.

The chapter created the legacy project, CSI Family Support, with the goal of serving these families (a total of 68 individuals, including infants, siblings, and caregivers). The project was modeled after other successful national programs—such as Feeding America, and Backpack Buddies—that strive to relieve hunger in children. Alfred’s chapter of CSI provided each participating student with a reusable bag of personal hygiene products for a given weekend, with the participant bringing the reusable bag back to school after the weekend to be filled and distributed again the following week/weeks.

Alfred University’s chapter of CSI has a history of advocacy and service. Founded at Ohio University in 1985, Chi Sigma Iota is the international honor society of professional counseling. It was established to provide recognition for outstanding achievement as well as outstanding service within the profession.

In photo above, student members of Alfred University’s Alpha Upsilon Xi chapter of Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society, pictured at Andover Central School, are, from left: Brittany Reinard, Sage Brown, Johanna McCormick, Taylor Soderholm, and Jacob Wilcox.