This Friday and Saturday, September 29-30, stop by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church on Scio Church Rd near Zeeb for their “Taste of Greece” drive-thru.
The annual event is a fundraiser hosted by the philanthropic group AHEPA District 10.
AHEPA stands for the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association. It is a fraternal organization founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia. AHEPA was founded to fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry and hatred.
Today, AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek and Philhellenic descent, with more than 400 chapters in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
AHEPA’s mission is to promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.
AHEPA members are involved in a wide range of philanthropic and charitable activities. The group’s “Milk For Flint” program is particularly noteworthy in our region. Why milk? AHEPA states: “According to the Center for Disease Control, milk helps reduce lead levels in the human body. This is especially important in children, because the higher the lead levels in their bodies, the more likely they are to have developmental health problems.
AHEPA District 10 Milk For Flint raised more than $40,000 in donations from 193 donors, who purchased twelve trucks over eight years (2016-2023) containing a total of 19,872 gallons of milk. It was an extremely successful program and had a significant impact on the residents of Flint. “Milk For Flint” was also a great success for AHEPA. Over the eight years of the program, hundreds of volunteers from AHEPA, Daughters of Penelope and the community have donated their time to make each Milk Giveaway a success. As a “thank you,” the Mayor of Flint declared July 16, 2020 “AHEPA Day in the City of Flint.” The AHEPA name has become well known, not only in the Flint area, but throughout Southeast Michigan. It is more than likely that the popularity of the program led to an increase in membership in District 10 during his tenure. AHEPA District 10’s “Milk For Flint” program fully exemplifies AHEPA’s mission: “To promote the ancient ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteering.
