'A little act of kindness': UMass' Iota Delta Nu helps to keep New Bedford warm
NEW BEDFORD — Sorority sisters from Iota Delta Nu at UMass Dartmouth, on Sunday, placed 45 scarves around Buttonwood Park to help anyone needing to stay warm during the cold weather.
"It's a small act of kindness that could go a really long way for someone that needed it," said Jesenia Delrosario, 20, philanthropy chair of Iota Delta Nu.
She said the sorority collected scarves from students, alumni and even made a few from scratch, then attached little messages to them saying things such as, "Stay warm."
Out of the 14 sisters part of the sorority, 10 were in attendance on Sunday to help distribute the scarves around the park, placing them on benches or hanging them in trees.
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Delrosario said they decided on Buttonwood because a large amount of homeless people will be in the park at night.
She said already a majority of them are gone since Tuesday morning.
Founded in 2007 (and then re-founded in 2019), the group's mission is about the prevention of violence against women. Delrosario said they do work with the New Bedford Women's Shelter.
Earlier this year, they did a "pie in the face" event where people could pie a sister in the face, with proceeds going to the women's shelter. They also collected old purses and filled them with different hygiene products to donate as well.
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Delrosario, who was born and raised in Fall River, is a junior at UMass Dartmouth studying biology. She said since high school, and being a Girl Scout for many years, she has always been all about giving back the community.
"It's just always been something that I like," she said. "To be able to give back, even if it's just something small, goes a long way."
However, during the pandemic, Delrosario felt as if she was disconnected from the community. She said one of the reasons she joined Iota Delta Nu, in fall 2021, was to be in a group that gave back to the community.
"I wanted to be able to get myself back out there," she said. "We try to do things to help spread kindness."
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In the winter, she was elected to be the philanthropy chair and pitched the idea for the scarves in Buttonwood Park. She said she did the same thing, years ago, in Heritage State Park in Fall River.
"I never had the chance to do it again," she said. "I had a really good outcome. The last time I did it."
Delrosario said the sorority is considering doing the scarves again in other areas of New Bedford and maybe Fall River, too.
"I think even if it doesn't go to someone who may necessarily be homeless, it's still kind of just a little reminder that people are loved, and we're trying to spread love," she said.
"It's a little act of kindness, something to kind of cheer people up no matter who it goes to."
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: UMass sorority donates scarves to keep New Bedford homeless people warm
