Sister Profile
Poised To Make A Difference In The Fight Against Hunger Beauty pageants may bring to mind elegant women dressed in glittering gowns, but Jessica Procter, Psi–University of Alabama, competes for a cause.
There is something that can be said about the joy of service you experience when doing something tangible, like feeding the hungry, Jessica Procter
Psi–University of Alabama
As Miss Alabama 2017, Jessica is leading her state in the fight against hunger. The 22-year-old Tuscaloosa native has gained national recognition for her dedication to this mission. Last month, she was named Miss America’s Jean Bartel Quality of Life Award recipient, a prestigious honor given to contestants who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to community service. Jessica’s involvement in eradicating hunger began long before the pageant titles—and even before Alpha Gamma Delta shifted our philanthropic focus. Her interest in community service grew out of her experience serving as a volunteer— providing aid to Haiti, Honduras and Costa Rica as a missionary for her church. After addressing issues of poverty and hunger abroad, Jessica was inspired to address systemic problems in her home community. Feeding America estimates that—in Alabama alone—nearly 860,000 people struggle with issues related to hunger. Almost 270,000 of them are children. “The level of poverty and basic needs that were not being met struck me,” Jessica said. “It’s easy to take for granted what we have, especially when it comes to food.” Jessica began looking for opportunities to change that. Her interest in solving Alabama’s problem with food insecurity drew her to Alpha Gamma Delta. At the University of Alabama, the Psi Chapter helps organize the institution’s Fifth Quarter program. After every Crimson Tide home football game, Psi Chapter Alpha Gams 24
stay behind to package leftover food for the West Alabama Food Bank. Jessica, the chapter’s former philanthropy chair, and her sisters bundle and deliver more than 2,000 pounds—2,700 meals!— of food per game. The program has donated nearly 79,000 meals in the past five years. Last January, Jessica was both thrilled and honored to help us announce the Fraternity’s new philanthropic focus to fight hunger. “There is something to be said about the joy of service you experience when doing something tangible like feeding the hungry,” she said. “Alpha Gamma Delta’s new philanthropic focus is a huge answered prayer of mine.” Contributing to the world’s work by providing warm meals to those in need is at the heart of Jessica’s responsibility as Miss Alabama, and what she will continue to do so after her year of service. With the generous scholarship support she has earned from the Miss Alabama and Miss America pageants, Jessica will return to school next fall to complete her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and psychology. She hopes to apply the educational and the leadership skills she has gained as a counselor and leader in her church community. While still ‘squeezing all the wonderful moments’ out of her experience as Miss Alabama, Jessica aims to channel the same level of focus when she’s no longer in the spotlight. “This is a model of how I hope to live my life every year: cognizant of the importance of serving other people,” she said.