Throughout the first week of November, the Nu Alpha Kappa (NAK) fraternity at Stan State hosted a weeklong event to raise awareness about homelessness and collect donations for the local community.
The event took place from Nov. 3-7 in the quad, where the fraternity members collected food, hygiene products and monetary donations. All proceeds obtained during this time were then donated to We Care Program, a Turlock-based shelter that provides nightly housing and meals for unhoused adult men.
Cristian Lopez (Senior, Business) first joined NAK in his sophomore year. Lopez explained that NAK hosts events during homeless awareness week every year, which takes place during the fall semester.
Lopez explained the fraternity and its emphasis on homelessness within Stanislaus County and how students and community members can help them.
“Especially here in Turlock, it’s a small community, and I believe you should take care of each other,” Lopez said.
This year, members were on campus from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day collecting donations and engaging with students.
The fraternity introduced a new interactive activity called “Pie a NAK,” which allowed participants to pie a fraternity member after donating a certain amount of canned goods.
“The Wednesday thing is just a new thing we’re trying to bring, like bring to campus just to bring more students more engaged,” Lopez said.
Victor Lopez Amezquita (Senior, Criminal Justice), who has been in NAK since the spring of 2025, said that the event aimed to highlight the issue of homelessness and food insecurity that impacts many in the area, including students.
“Homelessness is a big issue,” Amezquita said.
He added that the fraternity also seeks to inform students about on-campus resources, like the Warrior Food Pantry.
“We try to raise awareness for the other students so that they know that it’s a problem in our community, and we’re trying to find a way to give back,” he said.
Jesus Marin (Senior, Criminal Justice) highlighted how the fraternity also focuses on creating a sense of belonging among its members.
“The purpose of Nu Alpha Kappa is to give us a safe space, because we are a Latino-founded organization,” Marin said.
He added that the group aims to help Latino students thrive academically while fostering brotherhood.
At the end of the awareness week, members volunteered to cook and serve meals for unhoused individuals in the community, an activity Martin said he has participated in several times.
“I’ve already done it three times, and every single time it’s just a great experience, just giving people meals and then seeing them smile because this is their first decent meal in who knows how long,” he said.
Students interested in future events can follow StanStateNAK on Instagram for updates and information about upcoming community efforts.
