Students rewarded for braving the driving rain with nearly 50,000 pounds of food
It seems Guelphites took pity on drenched U of G Trick-or-Eaters this past Halloween. Despite a lower turnout than years past, and despite the decidedly scary weather, this year’s Trick or Eat drive raised more than ever before: 49,105 lbs in total.
Trick or Eat is the largest event on the Central Student Association’s Meal Exchange calendar. Students who participate in the event dress in their Halloween best to canvass neighbourhoods around Guelph for non-perishable foods. Those foods are then sent to the Guelph Food Bank.
Trick or Eat is the largest donation of food the Guelph Food Bank receives each year – arriving just in time for the Food Bank’s busy holiday season – but it is a logistical challenge to coordinate.
“While it is a two to three hour endeavour for those who Trick or Eat, for those who are part of the event it goes well until five or 6 a.m.,” said Vinosha Jegatheeswaran, the Central Coordinator at Meal Exchange. Jegatheeswaran has been planning the event since May.
Among other things, the organizers must assign students who registered online to predetermined routes, hire 12 school buses to shuttle students to and from the University Centre, borrow between 300 and 400 shopping carts from local grocery stores, placing them at drop-off locations, and pick up all the food in three delivery trucks before taking it to the Guelph Food Bank to be sorted and weighed.
Meal Exchanges estimates that around 300 students participated this year.
While last year’s event saw approximately 800 students participate – and 2011 saw over 1,000 – this most recent drive is perhaps proof that sheer numbers are not the best indicator of expected donations. This year’s drive, despite having fewer people, yielded 20,000 pounds more than last year, and broke the previous record that was set in a year when there were 1,500 participants.
Part of the success is due to fact that, even if Trick-or-Eaters didn’t reach every door, Guelph residents, businesses and schools still made the effort to drop off their donations to the Guelph Food Bank.
“Even though the [volunteer] numbers were a little low this year, the community came out in droves and really supported us,” said Brittany Skelton, the CSA Food Bank Coordinator, who added that the rain wasn’t actually that bad. “Everyone just kind of embraced it and had a good time.”
The University of Guelph is one of the biggest supporters of Trick or Eat in Canada and the U of G has a long history with the campaign. Dave Kranenburg, Guelph alum, started the drive in 2001.
“I think Guelph, as small town, has a special community vibe and a really interesting food culture,” said Jegatheeswaran. “People really support the movement toward food security and local sustainable initiatives.”
Many residents prepare themselves for Trick-or-Eaters and keep a stock of non-perishables next to the door.
“We come by every year and they know we’re coming,” said Jegatheeswaran. “And its funny, sometimes if we miss a route, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, you didn’t come by last year! You’ve got to come by this year, we’ve got a lot for you.’”
Trick or Eat is a national campaign run by Meal Exchange, a youth-driven charity that aims to eliminate hunger across Canada. According to the CSA Meal Exchange website, there are an estimated 18,781 hungry in Guelph.
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