Cereal Sisters Fill the Gap: Ivy Enrichment Foundation and Gamma Theta Omega Chapter Join Forces to Fight Hunger in Tampa Bay

From left to right: Ivy Enrichment Foundation Stakeholder Sherry Smith-Williams, Gamma Theta Omega Chapter Second Vice President Sonja Wise, Ivy Enrichment Foundation Vice President Patrice Joseph, Community Resource Specialist Lisa Wilson, and Ivy Enrichment Foundation Stakeholder Elaine Bryant pause for a photo in front of Edison Elementary as they prepare to sort and count cereal drive donations.

Cereal Sisters: Serving with Love and a Spoonful of Kindness — the message behind the cereal drive launched in May 2025 by the Ivy Enrichment Foundation and the Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Led by stakeholder Brenda Jackson-Lee, the community service initiative was created to help address food insecurity in the Tampa Bay Area, particularly among students and families affected by recent shortages in cereal donations.

The first phase of the drive resulted in the donation of 109 boxes of cereal and 27 bowls, which were sorted and delivered to students at Edison Elementary School. This phase would not have been possible without the dedication of stakeholders Sherry Smith-Williams and Elaine Bryant, who helped gather, transport, and ensure the donations safely reached their destination.

Cereal Sisters Cereal Drive kicked off May 2025 and runs through the end of June 2025.

Members of the Community Service Committee, Ivy Enrichment Foundation Vice President Patrice Joseph, and the Second Vice President of Gamma Theta Omega Chapter also joined Community Resource Specialist Lisa Wilson to organize the donations. Wilson noted that a decline in cereal supplies at Feeding Tampa Bay has made it harder to support local students — making this donation a timely and valuable contribution to the community.

The drive continues through June 2025, with support expanding. The Women’s Ministry of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church has signed on as a new community partner to collect cereal. Additional partnerships are being explored to include the donation of other pantry staples in the near future.

This initiative reflects the ongoing commitment of both the Ivy Enrichment Foundation and Gamma Theta Omega Chapter to sustainable service and meeting real needs within the Tampa Bay community.

Interested in joining the effort? We welcome any organization looking to support food access and donate breakfast or pantry items. Contact Vice President,

Patrice Joseph at ief1vicepresident2025@gmail.com.