We all know the power of food to bring people from all backgrounds, interests, and upbringings together. It’s so powerful, in fact, that Chi Omegas often lovingly refer to it as our seventh purpose!
The gathering of friends around a meal has been a source of Sisterhood for decades, whether it’s the first meal you eat on Bid Day as you mingle anxiously with your new pledge class, the routine nightly dinners in the chapter house that often erupt in contagious laughter, the countless late night pizza runs to fuel a sleepless study night, or bringing a Sister back home to share your family Thanksgiving with when her own family lives too far away.
The conversation and Sisterhood that happen around these meals is something to be thankful for. These moments connect us and allow time to gather, share, and recollect. They serve as a springboard for Sisterhood and community where we can take a moment to sit and be present with each other. Whether or not the exact outcomes of this time together are planned, they are always on purpose.
Theta Kappa/Baylor
The universal togetherness of gathering for a meal makes it the center of a lot of fundraising efforts as well, as we know it will attract people to join arms with and share our Sisterhood with to raise money and awareness for the organizations we love. Most of today’s fundraising events put on by collegiate chapters, like Wings for Wishes or Cook Out with Chi O, include food in some way. These events pull communities together for a worthy cause and give people the chance to interact and share in new ways and with new people. But this is nothing new for Chi Omegas.
Dating back to the earliest days of Chi Omega we used the universal ties of community and meals to raise funds for things like chapter houses through the sales of Chi Omega Cook Books. Check out some of the recipes featured below that brought Sisters, friends, and families together years ago, and try some out yourself!
But most importantly, this Thanksgiving we encourage you, Sisters, to shine Chi Omega’s light on those you spend the day with. Whether it be through sharing a recipe featured here or carrying out your own tradition: Gather, share, and recollect with friends and family in the ways Chi Omega has taught us through our years of gathering as Sisters. These recipes, holding history and serving as reminders of some of our most beloved Sisters, also confirm that gathering and fostering authentic connections through holidays, events, and dinners is a tradition Chi Omegas have been practicing since the earliest years of our Sisterhood…
Sweet potato recipes dating back about 100 years from Xi/Northwestern Sisters Harriet Wilson Davy initiated 1908, Gladys Mars Becker initiated 1910, and Katherine Benedict Peth initiated 1912
A recipe from Julia Winchell Campbell, Xi/Northwestern 1901 initiate and founding member. Julia designed the Chi Omega New Member Pin which was adopted at the 1904 Convention.
Chicago North Shore Alumnae Cook Book sold to raise funds for the Xi Chapter House
Content of Chicago North Shore Alumnae Cook Book for Xi Chapter House
Mary Love Collins, Delta/Dickinson 1906 initiate, featured in Chicago North Shore Alumnae Cook Book for Xi Chapter House. Mary Love served as S.H. from 1910-52, then as administrative councilor and president emeritus until she joined the Omega Chapter in 1972.
Recipes from Ethel Switzer Howard, Xi/Northwestern 1904 initiate, in Chicago North Shore Alumnae Cook Book for Xi Chapter House. Ethel was best known for penning our unforgettable Chi Omega Symphony.
“Household Hints” featured in Chicago North Shore Alumnae Cook Book for Xi chapter house
Chi Omega Cook Book sold to raise money to furnish a new Tau chapter house at Ole Miss
Coca-Cola Cake recipe by Sara Harwell McNice, Tau/Ole Miss. 1951 initiate
Memphis cook book featuring recipe from former S.H. Roselyn Dabbs, Tau/Ole Miss. 1946 initiate
And a favorite that we just couldn’t leave out…
Recipe from Mildred “Polly” Morrison Donnelly, Tau Alpha/Ohio 1919 initiate
Try a recipe from our Chi O Cook Books and tag us in the post! We would love to see how Chi Omega was incorporated in your family holiday or next gathering!