The Lambda Theta Nu multicultural sorority hosted its seventh annual flauta feed on Nov. 21. Proceeds will go towards the Latina Youth Leadership Conference, which the Lambdas will host in April 2025.
Genesis Acosta, the sorority’s president, said the UNK community came together to help them raise over $1,500 for the Tijeras National Philanthropy Program, which promotes Latino literacy.
“This event in itself symbolizes the power of community,” Acosta said. “People lending a helping hand even in the smallest way helps a lot, and at the end of the day it’s for a bigger cause.”
Admission tickets were $15, and attendees received three flautas, a side of rice and beans, a brownie and a choice between Coke or horchata as their beverage.
Acosta said these food and drink items were chosen due to their cultural significance.
“The active sisters at the time chose flautas, rice, beans and horchata because it’s culturally receptive to Latinas, the people that we are and the people that our organization aims to serve,” Acosta said.
The conference these funds are allocated to helps positively impact the lives of young Latinas.
“Our proceeds for this will specifically go to funding our Latina Scholarship that our sorority organization nationally puts on, as well as our Latina Youth Leadership Conference,” Acosta said. “For that event, we invite hundreds of middle school girls to come learn about higher education, coming to college, leadership, self defense and things like that.”
Acosta said her and her sorority sisters are grateful for the Kearney and Lexington communities, as they played a large role in the success of this event.
“This year, Tyson notably donated all the chicken, Teresa’s in Lexington donated all the tortillas, and Kitt’s here in town gave a donation as well as Family Fresh and other businesses,” Acosta said. “Margarita’s, the restaurant here in Kearney, did a really good job at helping us. The process of cooking the rice and beans wasn’t on our load, and they donated all of it so we didn’t have to make it.”
Yanilet Montano, the chapter’s treasurer and fundraising chair, said a lot of preparation goes into this event.
“It’s kind of a long process – it’s been a little bit over a month since I started planning,” Montano said. “We reached out to some businesses that were willing to sponsor us, which we based off of last year. Some of them were really willing to support us and help us get some of the supplies we needed for this event, and we also tell them what this money is going towards.”
Zane Grizzle, president of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and attendee of the event, said the Lambdas are always supporting other Greek life events, which inclined him to support theirs. He also said attending philanthropic events like the flauta feed is the essence of the college experience.
“I think this is a great way to experience the diversity we have on campus, and to also support a great cause,” Grizzle said. “Coming to these kinds of events is what college is all about, and of course the food is really great.”
Montano said she was surprised by the large support from faculty.
“Seeing how faculty and staff are willing to support us is nice,” Montano said. “I wasn’t expecting to see so many of them, and them reaching out is so nice to see. I can really tell they’re willing to support the community.”
Acosta said without the donors and attendees who made this event successful, the sorority wouldn’t be as impactful within the Latino community.
“Thank you so much,” Acosta said. “We wouldn’t be able to do this and make change in our Latino community without your help.”
