It may have been 12:30 a.m., but sophomore Ben McElroy covered a pile of fluffy pancakes with maple syrup before diving in and enjoying the mess, which he washed down with a large glass of ice-cold orange juice.

“Nothing beats a pile of pancakes,” McElroy proclaimed.

The doors of Delta Delta Delta opened to the community Tuesday at 10 p.m. for their second annual Midnight Pancake Feed to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. For only $5 a person, patrons of the Delta House of Pancakes enjoyed an unlimited supply of pancakes and beverages, helping raise about $1,500 before the doors closed at 2 a.m.

“I think the pancake feed was a great success, and I think part of that success was due to the fact that we extended our invitations to people beyond the Greek community,” said Philanthropy Chair Kathryn Gunter. “It was also a success because this was our second feed; all the kinks were worked out the first time around. Our first feed gave us a good reputation that made people want to come back.”

The number one goal of the event, besides satisfying late night cravings for delicious pancakes, was to raise awareness of St. Jude and the life-saving medical services they provide to children in need.

Although the event was only four hours long, the women of Tri Delta began preparing for the event over one month ago. All of the pancake mix, syrup, chocolate chips and juice were donated by sorority members to ensure all proceeds would go directly to St. Jude.

“People were expecting us to have the pancake feed again after last year’s success, but this year we wanted to make sure they knew why they were coming,” said Tri Delta senior Ashley Sherwood.

Gunter accomplished Tri Delta’s mission to increase attentiveness to the organization by plastering the dining area with St. Jude posters depicting patients in need and layering the floor with St. Jude balloons. The dining tables were covered with cards detailing patient stories and bracelets that said “Finding cures. Saving children,” which people were encouraged to take home and share with their friends and families.

“I hope that people left feeling more aware of how serious the cause is and how important it is to help,” said Tri Delta freshman Jodi Cunnington.

The pancake feed brought members of the university community together, creating new friendships while supporting a good cause.

“It is a good way to meet new girls and get some good food,” said McElroy of why he attended the event.

Junior Brian Slattery added, “I wanted to help out a good cause. The money I used to buy the pancakes was money well spent.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded in 1962 by Danny Thomas. It maintains 60 inpatient beds and treats about 230 patients each day. According to St. Jude’s Web site, the hospital has approximately 4,900 patients in active status, all of whom are treated without regard to race, religion, creed or ability to pay.

Despite the hospital’s daily operating costs of about $1,216,247, St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. The majority of the hospital’s costs are covered by public contributions, such as those made by Tri Delta sororities throughout the nation.

“It’s great to be helping an organization that is really honest about where they put their money,” said Tri Delta senior Mallory Bender.

In 1999, Tri Delta officially adopted St. Jude as its national philanthropic partner. By 2002, 82 of 133 chapters, including the UW’s Tri Delta chapter, agreed to raise $1 million in four years to endow the hospital’s Teen Room, a safe haven for patients ages 13-19.

One year ahead of schedule in 2005, Tri Delta completed its endowment for the Teen Room and agreed to raise another $10 million in 10 years to help create a new Patient Care Floor in the Chili’s Care Center at the St. Jude campus located in Memphis, Tenn. The new patient care floor will include 18 new inpatient suites, parent rooms, two nurse stations, lounge areas and much more.

In January of 2009, Tri Delta proudly announced that it has raised more than $6 million toward its $10 million goal, putting the members clearly ahead of their 10-year plan.

Since the St. Jude campus is thousands of miles away from the UW campus, a select group of Tri Delta members are offered expense-paid trips each year to visit the hospital and report back to their chapters about their experiences.

Bender, who traveled to St. Jude in November 2007, described her trip to the hospital as unforgettable.

“Being at the hospital was really moving, especially seeing the patients’ art posted on the hospital’s walls,” Bender said. “The art showed the positive and negative aspects of life at the hospital. It was very honest.”

Sherwood and fellow senior Christina MacMillan also traveled to St. Jude in July 2008. Sherwood was impacted by the experience most when the parents of patients approached her to offer their thanks for all that Tri Delta has done for the hospital. She also said it was especially moving when they were able to interact with patients who referred to them as “the triangles,” which represent Delta Delta Delta.

“Being able to put a face to the patients, parents and hospital makes a world of difference,” Sherwood said, who plans to remain involved with St. Jude after she graduates in the spring.

Throughout the academic year, UW’s Tri Delta hosts a variety of different events to raise money for St. Jude. In the past two years, they have raised almost $40,000 for St. Jude, with half of the proceeds coming from their silent auction that occurs every December. In the spring, Tri Delta hosts “Spike It,” a volleyball tournament for the UW’s fraternities. Tri Delta accumulates further donations for St. Jude with an annual letter writing campaign named “Up Till Dawn,” which also takes place during spring quarter.

“The strength of sororities is fundraising. The amount of money raised is outstanding,” said Tri Delta house mother Sandra Anderson of her chapter’s efforts to raise money for St. Jude. “I wonder if the UW really recognizes and understands how much money the Greek community raises. I think the figure would be eye-opening.”

To get involved with St. Jude, check out their Web site at www.stjude.org. If you would like to volunteer in the Seattle area, contact St. Jude’s local sales office at (877) 873-6083.

Reach reporter Kendra Abernathy at features@dailyuw.com.