Ames residents may have noticed an extra adornment on their doorknobs Wednesday afternoon — donation bags from Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.

The bags are part of a citywide food drive organized by the fraternity. The fraternity’s adviser, Herbert Strasser, said the goal of the project is to raise 8,000 pounds of canned or dried food from Ames residents by Saturday.

He said the group attempted to cover “everybody that has a doorknob in Ames.”

“It’s a major undertaking,” Strasser said. “We really appreciate anyone who will fill these grocery bags up and contribute generously to this needy cause.”

Strasser said the project will benefit three food pantries in Ames. Goods collected in the drive will go to The Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) facility and The Bethesda Lutheran and Jesus’ Right Hand pantries.

The members and volunteers will be picking these donations up on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. In addition, the three pantries also will be open to accept donations of canned or dried food items from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Roy Hougen, coordinator of volunteer ministries at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern Ave., said this project is important because the needy in Ames often go unnoticed.

“A lot of people in this area, being rather affluent, aren’t aware that there are as many [needy] people as there are,” he said. “We really appreciate what the fraternity is doing to support our food pantry and the people who are in need.”

Hougen said his pantry alone services 200 families and 300 individuals per month, and distributes 500 sacks of food per month.

Once the food is at the pantries, it is given to the needy families in Story County.

Debbie Keith of MICA, 113 Colorado Ave., said there “would not be much food going out if it wasn’t for the food drive.” She said the food drives and any donations given are helpful to all of the pantries.

Although the food drive is sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, some of Iowa State’s other fraternities and sororities volunteered to help distribute and collect bags, Strasser said.

Members of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Delta, Alpha Chi Omega, Pi Beta Phi and Delta Delta Delta will be earning points toward a Homecoming Service Competition for their assistance with the project.

Alpha Phi Omega is not competing in the Homecoming contest but organized the drive as part of its ideal to “do a good turn daily,” Strasser said.

The co-ed service fraternity organizes and participates in two to five service projects per semester. It is based on leadership, fellowship and service. Strasser said the co-ed service fraternity has 30 members and 20 new pledges this fall.

Daily Staff Writer Kelly Laabs contributed to this report.