After hearing about the hurricane that took place in Houston, the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity wanted to do more for their fellow Americans.

Alpha Phi Alpha is hosting a toiletry drive for the victims of Hurricane Harvey from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday. in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Carl Winton, president of Alpha Phi Alpha, said hosting a toiletry drive for the victims of Hurricane Harvey basically goes by what the fraternity stands for, which is manly deeds, scholarship and love for all mankind.

The fraternity is looking for items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and deodorant.

Alpha Phi Alpha is looking for as many donations as they can get to help the victims of the storm.

“The more the better,” Kaleb Williams said, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.

One of the main reasons the fraternity wanted to help is because some members personally know people who were affected by the storm.

“There are a lot of people that I’m close with that were affected by this, as I’m sure other people (are),” Jerome Hampton said, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. “If it happened in Chicago, I’m hoping people would want to get together and help Chicago, so why not do it for our fellow Americans in Houston?”

Williams said after seeing the hurricane all over social media, they felt compelled to help.

“We just sat there and thought, ‘How can we do service to our fellows?’” Hampton said.

The fraternity plans to host the drive every Wednesday throughout the month of September.

There will be boxes in some of the residence halls in case people cannot make it to the Union.

Resident assistants will also do rounds in different halls to collect items.

Other organizations on campus have been contributing to the cause as well.

Kendall Williams, vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha said faculty members, TRiO, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, the track and field team and others have also donated.

“We plan to reach out to teachers and other people who work at different places on the campus to get them to donate too,” Winton said.

There is no official count to how many items Alpha Phi Alpha has received so far, but the fraternity said they received a lot of donations.

“We just want to keep getting as much as we can and help as many people as we can,” Winton said.

Winton said they will continue the donations throughout the month and if it is successful, it will continue in October.

Winton also wants to have a drive to help those in areas around Hurricane Irma in Florida.

“At the end of the day that’s what it’s about: helping people out,” Kaleb Williams said. “You can’t get anywhere without somebody helping you.”

Jakira Smith can be reached at 581-2812 or jdsmith12@eiu.edu