Knights of Columbus donations help charities throughout area
By HELENA RAYAM
News Writer
Over 20 years ago, Notre Dame football fans might have seen students wildly shouting on South Quad trying to sell a hoagie or two. More recently, however, the food of choice for the Notre Dame Knights of Columbus (K of C) concession stand has been steak. Recently donating $43,500 to charities, the steak sale is just one of the fundraisers that has allowed the Knights to help South Bend and surrounding communities.
"We've been selling something outside the Knights building for quite some time," said outgoing grand knight Peter Breen.
The primary beneficiaries of the donation are Jibault School for Boys and Corvilla, a home for the mentally challenged. Other recipients of donations include Holy Cross Missions, the Women's Care Center and several other charities. As the oldest and largest Notre Dame student group, the K of C strives to represent Catholicism, service and fraternity.
"That element of faith is what's able to tie the Knights of Columbus together so tightly," said Breen. Founded at the University in 1910, the chapter will begin to celebrate its 90th anniversary during the fall semester.
Because the money from steak sales goes to charity, the University permits the K of C to have the sales for every football game. According to Breen, over the years, the "pre-game tradition" of steaks has attracted many faithful fans.
"We've been very blessed. We have had a lot of loyal customers," he said. Breen, a Notre Dame graduate student, attended the non-religiously affiliated Vanderbilt University, and said that religious affiliation influences the success of groups such as K of C.
"Here we have the Catholic traditions. That kind of core set of values helps to lay the groundwork for our charity," said Breen.
The K of C is comprised of Catholic males of at least 18 years of age, a demographic that is not as numerous on non-Catholic campuses. "We always get a lot of young and new guys who are energized," said Breen.
Currently, the Notre Dame K of C has about 80 members. Breen said that the K of C tries to draw in members who did community service in high school.
All members are encouraged to do individual as well as group service including being ushers for the Basilica masses. A continuous project that the K of C assists is Food Share, which provides the Homeless Center with leftover food from the dining halls.
K of C, both a social and charitable group, has over 1.6 million members and Notre Dame K of C is one of the 12,000 councils nationwide.
All News Stories for Tuesday, May 2, 2000
