Carleton’s on-campus food bank went door-to-door on Halloween night to collect cans, not candy.
The idea for the event comes from Meal Exchange, an organization who combats poverty by educating youth about food security, said Adil Tahseen, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) vice-president (student services).
“They work alongside with Food Banks of Canada which is an organization the Food Centre works very closely with,” he said.
According to Meal Exchange, one in eight Canadian households experiences food insecurity.
This means that four million individuals, including 1.15 million children do not have access to nutritious and affordable food.
With its youth-led “Trick or Eat” event, the organization encourages thousands of students across the country to raise money online, and collect non-perishable food items for local food agencies in a fun and creative way.
“Many volunteers wore costumes and face paint for the event. A lot of them were able to get candy from houses as well because of their costumes,” said Tahseen.
At the end of the night, CUSA supplied their 30 volunteers with pizza for their hard work.
“This is an important event because despite Canada being considered a wealthy country, a lot of Canadians battle with hunger,” said Food Centre’s co-ordinator Zandile Chiwanza. “Not only do we raise money and food during Trick Or Eat. We raise awareness.”
This year, the CUSA Food Centre raised 900 pounds of food.
“We had approximately 15-18 large moving boxes full of canned goods, pasta, sauces, and other various non-perishable food items,” said Tahseen.
“Food security is an issue that a lot of students deal with and it is important to turn to the community for help when it is needed. It is integral for us to work together to help out one another,” he said.
Seventy per cent of the food went to the Ottawa Food Bank. Tahseen said Carleton’s food bank kept the rest, adding the event was more than just a food drive.
“Events like this bring together the student body and with the volunteers we had present we were really able to make an impact on our campus and in our community,” said Tahseen.
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