There wasn’t an empty stomach or a face without a smile Saturday at the Edmundite Missions Bosco Nutrition Center after members of a local fraternity took time to give back to the community.

Members of the Omega Chi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. manned the grill Saturday, cooking chicken, hotdogs and hamburgers to feed people in need of a hot meal and cut hair as well.

“We’re just here to give back, to serve our community and uplift our community and Selma,” said Adonis Lovejoy, as he cooked Saturday afternoon. “We try to keep everybody smiling, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

The fraternity, which focuses on community service, teamed up with the Bosco Nutrition Center for one of its many projects in Selma and Dallas County.

Fraternity member Abd-ur-rahim Jones, who helped fix plates and serve guests at the Bosco Saturday, said they have been spreading the word all week.

“My frat brother told me about the Bosco, and I had no idea about it,” he said. “We just wanted people to come out here and see that we care by providing food and haircuts.”

Julia Drain, a cook at Bosco, said it means a lot to have people coming to help them serve those in need of a meal.

“I really think highly of them because it’s young guys trying to do something,” she said. “A lot people really love it. They really do. Most of the time they want to know who they are, where they’re from, and they want to thank them for their meals.”

The center feeds hundreds of people every day, and Drain said it is a great feeling being able to provide people with a meal and a smile.

“Sometimes you have some people come in that are really, really hungry, and it makes you feel good when you know you’re really helping somebody,” she said. “You can’t help but feel good about it.”

Jones said seeing so many people come out and enjoy the food they cooked meant a lot to him.

“It means a lot to do this because at the end of the day, a smile is all we care about, knowing we helped somebody,” he said. “They took the time out of their day to come here. It means a lot to us because it means they actually care.”

Brandon Wooten, chapter president, said the work the fraternity did Saturday was what they are all about.

“It means the world to us. That’s the main purpose of our fraternity, to be a community service fraternity,” he said. “We’re happy to team up with the Bosco and do what we can to try to feed the community.”

Wooten said the fraternity is currently working on a mentor program at Selma High School, and he hopes to see that start in the near future.