Grilled Cheese and Giving

In the realm of philanthropy and fundraising it is important to cater to a wide variety of people in order to maximize fundraising capabilities. Throughout my journey of planning Grilled Cheesy with the Dee Zees, I had to consider how I can connect our national philanthropy, the people of Western Illinois University, the people of Macomb--all while considering what food they would enjoy. Thus, came the idea of grilled cheese. Philanthropy has become essential to my chapter of the Delta Zeta sorority. As mentioned on the Delta Zeta website, "Whether within our local communities or on a global scale, we strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve" (2023). In the past, philanthropy events have exclusively been marketed to other Greek organizations, however, as a result of my analysis of Delta Zeta’s perspective of philanthropy, I found it important to emphasize the local community’s impact on this event. Not only does our philanthropy Serve Starkey Hearing Foundation but it also serves our community. In an effort to connect the community to our chapter we spread the love that we have for Starkey while serving the community within our own sorority house. We strived to connect the comfort of food to the comfort of community. So why did we choose grilled cheese? It's plain and simple– just like the sandwich. grilled cheese is a comfort food that has minimal ingredients and appeals to every age group. Guy Fieri said, “Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people eat together” (2016). When considering the food that different people from different communities could come together and enjoy–something as simple as grilled cheese was the clear answer. Moreover, grilled cheese can be easily adjusted to fit dietary needs that members of the community may have. As well as the fact that grilled cheese is relatively cost efficient to produce in large quantities. The main goal of the event was to serve the community while serving our national philanthropy. We wanted to ensure that our event was accessible and open to anyone who would like to attend. Thus, we took into consideration how to make the sorority house wheelchair accessible, and how to make sure there were options for those who may have dairy or gluten allergies. Furthermore, every aspect of the event was taken into consideration when deciding how to make sure the event was accessible to all attendees. Grilled Cheesy with the Dee Zees exemplifies how effective food as a fundraising tactic can be. Foodways research has allowed me to narrow in the scope on this specific aspect of how food impacts the community. Furthermore, it shows why food is consistently used as a way to raise money–because it always brings people together. The main goal of the event was to serve the community while serving our national philanthropy. We wanted to ensure that our event was accessible and open to anyone who would like to attend. Thus, we took into consideration how to make the sorority house wheelchair accessible, and how to make sure there were options for those who may have dairy or gluten allergies. Furthermore, every aspect of the event was taken into consideration when deciding how to make sure the event was accessible to all attendees. Grilled Cheesy with the Dee Zees exemplifies how effective food as a fundraising tactic can be. Foodways research has allowed me to narrow in the scope on this specific aspect of how food impacts the community. Furthermore, it shows why food is consistently used as a way to raise money–because it always brings people together.