When a humanitarian crisis erupted in late August and early September in Jackson due to a water shortage, local members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity sprang into action.
The organization delivered two shipments of potable water to Jackson on Saturday, Sept. 3, and Saturday, Sept. 10, bringing 10 pallets to Jackson residents in dire need. Preston Brownlow, the fraternity’s Area 1 director, said the decision to distribute water in Jackson “exemplified our goals to uphold the aims in which our fraternity was founded: manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind.”
Many homes, businesses and government offices in Jackson had little or no running water the first week in September, forcing people to wait in long lines for drinking water or water to flush toilets. The failure highlighted Jackson’s decaying infrastructure and dysfunction. Many groups distributed bottled water at drive-through sites and tanks full of water were delivered to the city.
Brownlow said fraternity member Alonzo Evans, chair of the local Brother’s Keeper Committee, had the idea to deliver water. “He is responsible for satisfying Brother’s Keeper projects,” said Brownlow, a lifelong Greenwood resident. “He saw Jackson as the perfect opportunity to reach out and to satisfy those aims.”
Brownlow said the effort “exemplified love for our fellow man in an area and time of need.” Brother’s Keeper is designed to improve the quality of life for Alpha Phi Alpha brothers, their spouses, and widows, the elderly, those with disabilities, and other vulnerable community members.
“We seized the opportunity to get all chapters in Area 1 involved,” Brownlow said. Area 1, which covers Leflore, Carroll, Sunflower and Holmes counties, has four chapters: Epsilon Xi Lambda, Rho Gamma Lambda, Omicron Psi, and Zeta Phi. A call went out to members and soon a fund-raiser began. “Brothers donated by sending checks or via PayPal or Cash App,” he said. “We began collecting water locally.”
Water was purchased at Walmart, and Market Place donated water. The fraternity organized two trips to Jackson. The first delivery to Jackson took place on Sept. 3 and featured a unique mode of transport: a dump truck.
“We filled the back of the dump truck,” Brownlow said. “One of our frat brothers who is originally from Greenwood and now lives in Madison, Tyree Irving, is in his mid-70s. He insisted on getting in the back of that dump truck and handing water down to the ground.”
The dump truck was donated by a Carroll County resident.
Local Area 1 members who participated in the Sept. 3 delivery linked up with other fraternity members in the Jackson area as well as College Hill Baptist Church where the distribution was held.
“We strategically placed the water under the church awning,” he said, “and people were able to drive up and get what they wanted. We did not place any limit on the water.” They handed out water for about three hours. “We saw about 100 cars in that time.”
Jackson residents were excited and relieved to get the water. “We saw cars with children and the elderly,” he said. “Some had more than one family and they asked for extra. We complied.”
The fraternity had 40-count cases, 32-count cases, 24-count cases, 3-liter bottles and 1-gallon cases to give away. Seven pallets were delivered on Sept. 3. Three more were delivered from Greenwood a week later and added to two pallets contributed by God Answers Prayers Ministry in Jackson. All the water was given away on both trips. On Sept. 10, two trailers were lined up in a parking lot, and people were allowed to drive up between the two and get as much water as they needed. “Again, we set no limit,” Brownlow said.
“It made us feel great in that we satisfied our aims. It is second nature to be able to provide a community service,” he added. “We definitely do not feel relaxed because there is so much more to be done.”
Alpha Phi Alpha fulfills other community needs by providing food baskets at Thanksgiving to preselected families in Greenwood. It also raises funds for the March of Dimes, having raised about $25,000 to date for the nonprofit, and provides scholarships to college students.
“Just today, I wrote a $500 scholarship check to a student,” Brownlow said. The other half of the $1,000 scholarship will be provided in the spring semester. Over the past 25 years, local fraternity members have provided about $60,000 in scholarships through Brother’s Keeper, in line with the program’s aims.
“I think it’s important to help,” Brownlow said. “Any organization should be about humanity and community service – giving back to the community.”
He said members of the fraternity were “pleased with how things went and the amount of water we collected. Much more was needed, but I think overall we did have an impact on those areas where we made the deliveries.”
Contact Dan Marsh at dmarsh@gwcommonwealth.com
