My favorite thing about fall is West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods food drive. Every organization in the college is invited to form a group of costumed volunteers to go out into the community and gather as many canned goods from homes as they can. The cans are then donated to a local food pantry known to offer over 3,000 food packages a year. Here’s how to get this service project started in your community!
1. Partner with a Local Food Pantry and Discuss Their Needs:
Connecting with your local pantry or donation center can inform you on the center’s needs– as the center may need materials other than food. It is necessary to meet with the donation center beforehand, as they need storage space available and people to process the incoming items. Contacting the center can also help you when you begin to recruit volunteers, as you can gather data on the center’s operations to find how many people they reach out to in a year.
2. Announce the Event in the Local Newspaper, on Social Media, and on Campus:
Now that you have partnered with a food pantry or donation center, you need to advertise the event to recruit volunteers and to inform the community that people will be collecting items (rather than candy) during trick-or-treat. This is best done through newspaper ads, social media, and word of mouth. West Virginia Wesleyan’s Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods is so well-known in the area that most residents in the county expect volunteers to come each year and often store canned goods well ahead of time for collection. Building this kind of relationship with the community creates a lasting and successful annual event.
3. Prepare Volunteers:
You have partnered with a donation center, advertised the event, and volunteers have expressed interest; now you need to inform volunteers where and when to meet. Wesleyan college students dress up in their best Halloween costume, meet in a predetermined location, officially register at a table and receive a sticker to wear so community residents know the students are official volunteers, then receive a map with sectioned-off areas of the city so not every organization goes to the same houses. Though sectioned-off map areas are not necessary (especially if your volunteer base is small), they can help ensure as many homes are visited as possible to receive as many donation items as possible.
4. Set up a Drop-off Site:
Once volunteers have collected the items, they need to know where to re-convene and drop them off. If the donation center is adequately prepared, volunteers may be able to drop items off right at the site. If not, volunteers may need to meet back up where they began. The drop-off site should be prepared ahead of time and approved by the donation center.
5. Thank your Volunteers!
Always remember to thank your volunteers for their service. They may have put hours into their costumes and the collection of items! Sending thank-you cards in the mail, emailing them, or if possible, offering community service hours, is an excellent way to express your appreciation. I hope your trick-or-treat event goes well!
Until next time. HCXO!