Trick-or-Eat: Food Bank Initiative Struggles During Pandemic
FREDERICTON – The St. Thomas Student Union set out on its annual Trick-Or-Eat expedition on Halloween night, following last minute efforts to gain approval from the city of Fredericton.
The event is held for and participated in by St Thomas students, starting at 5:30pm in the Margaret Norrie McCain Hall.
“It’s an initiative that’s put on by the Student Union, and basically students go out and collect non-perishable food items door to door and then those proceeds go back to the STU food bank and Greener Village,” said Kyle McNally, STUSU’s vice president.
Greener Village is a Fredericton based food bank that offers food, clothing and other opportunities for those in need. The STU foodbank is also available for students suffering from food insecurity to receive support, located behind George Martin Hall.
Possibly due to a combination of late advertising and COVID uncertainty, few students showed up to this year’s Trick-or-Eat. Nonetheless, the students that came through were excited to go out in costume and search for donations.
Sarah Kohut, the STUSU president, was optimistic about the group’s success.
“We’ve got some limited numbers because there’s not that many people on campus, but nonetheless, I think we’re going to collect a good amount of food and make a good donation to the food banks in the area!” said Kohut.
Another barrier to this year’s initiative was the vast amount of houses that simply left out candy bags, and requested that nobody approach their doors through signage. Despite this, there were plenty of houses that found their own innovative ways to donate while maintaining social distancing.
One such house even used a pole and delivered their food donations nestled in a swinging basket! Another house got imaginative by arranging a candy ‘Chute,’ that could slide candy (or food) down into waiting bags, with no contact required.
Kohut said she was excited to collect food and help make a difference in people’s lives, and the enthusiasm was infectious. Donators seemed happy to see people out and about on Halloween, and were excited to be able to show off their costumes that they had worked hard on.
The Trick-or-Eaters finished early in the night, with heavy bags to pack away. Despite it all, they braved the spooky night to return with a vast haul of goods for those that need them.
The STU food bank is an anonymous support system, which does not require any registration or identification for students to use. Students may simply enter, take what they need, and leave, without concern of being identified.