While most of Monday's Halloween doorbell-ringers were hoping for sweet treats, about 125 university students were knocking on doors for a much more altruistic reason: they were collecting non-perishable food items for the Food Bank of Western New York.
Students canvassed the neighborhoods surrounding North Campus asking for donations as part of UB's fourth-annual "Trick or Eat" campaign.
The majority of the students were dressed for the occasion, giving them a chance to have fun while tackling a serious social issue. Last year 4.8 percent of U.S. households accessed a food bank at least once, according to a USDA report. That's equal to 5.6 million households. An additional 11 million households were classified as experiencing "very low food security," as defined by the Census Bureau.
"It only takes two hours, and it makes a big impact," said Terri Budek, community engagement coordinator for the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement, who organized the event.
Students met at the Student Union lobby at 4 p.m. and went out to the local neighborhoods from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.
In those two hours, the students collected 3,481 pounds of food; and with some donations still coming in, Budek is confident that the final total will be over 3,500 pounds. While falling short of the center's stated goal of 5,000 pounds, the total is nearly 500 pounds more than what last year's effort yielded. And since nearly three-quarters of all food pantries, kitchens, and shelters have reported increased demand since 2006, those extra donations are going to be put to good use.
The nearly 3,500 pounds of food came from about 1,500 households in Amherst.
"Most people have big hearts and are happy to donate food," Budek said. "We're happy to collect it."
She sees the Halloween tradition as a way for UB students to visit with their neighbors.
"We say to the students that the school community is going to be their home for at least 10 months out of the year," Budek said. "This is a good way for them to get involved, for them to get out in the community, and to give back."
The Center for Leadership initially tried to identify the areas in Amherst that would benefit most from direct donations of the food items, but organizers soon realized that there was no way of knowing which neighborhoods needed the most help, according to Budek. So, the center teamed up with the Food Bank of Western New York.
Budek brought the "Trick or Eat" campaign with her from the University of Guelph, a public research university in Ontario, Canada where she completed her undergraduate studies. Since the program's inception in 2001, Guelph has consistently beaten out every other school in North America when it comes to the amount of food collected – last year, its students collected 41,998 pounds of food.
When Budek came to UB, she took a look around and decided that "Trick or Eat" needed to come to Buffalo.
"We can do this here," Budek said.
In addition to Buffalo, "Trick or Eat" also takes place in Connecticut and Wisconsin, as well as in over 75 Canadian communities.
"Trick or Eat" is sponsored by Meal Exchange, a youth-led charity based in Canada. In the 10 years that it has been growing, it has become the largest student-organized food drive in North America.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
