Trick-or-Food
Halloween started a little early this year for some Utah State University students hoping to make a difference.
Over 100 students went trick-or-treating Wednesday and Thursday, asking for donations for the Cache Valley Food Pantry.
The event is an annual tradition sponsored by Students Together Ending Poverty (S.T.E.P.).
The purpose is to raise awareness about poverty in the valley and give students a chance to make a difference.
“(Poverty) is a very real problem, even here in Cache Valley. We try to give the opportunity to serve and dress up,” Ben Szilagyi, a junior majoring in international studies and co-director of S.T.E.P. said.
This year other groups added to the number of volunteers.
The service committee from the College of Education and Human Services helped organize the event.
A group from a MHR 3110 class joined to collect Thanksgiving-oriented food during the trick-or-treating.
The group hopes to give Thanksgiving dinner to residents in the valley that otherwise would not have one.
“It’s kind of a combined effort to provide Thanksgiving and food in general,” Szilagyi said.
Volunteers checked in at the TSC student center patio and were given a route. Just like the trick-or-treating tradition, they knocked door-to-door and residents donated the items.
Russell Ferry, a freshman majoring in history and philosophy heard about the event in his sociology class.
He came to the patio ready to help and met up with friends hoping to do the same.
“We did just a couple blocks, we had a good turnout,” Ferry said. “We got 10-15 bags, maybe up to a 100 cans.”
Ferry was surprised at the community’s willingness to support the students. He visited the residences east of the cemetary and Student Living Center.
Every house he went to on Wednesday donated food, or told them to come back Thursday.
It reminded him that there are people everywhere, even in Cache Valley that need extra help.
“I think it’s good that stuff like this happens so we can see that there’s always a chance to help people,” Ferry said. “I think that just because we don’t see as much poverty we don’t always look for ways to help people.
The event has become an annual tradition for some, Karen Gourley of the service committee for the College of Education and Human Services was at the event for the fifth year.
“I’ve had so much fun doing trick or treat that it’s fun to do annually,” Gourley said. Gourley helped the service committee get involved this year.
“There is education in poverty because people don’t know that there is poverty in our valley. [The food bank] needs items all of the time.”
-natandrews@cc.usu.edu
Halloween started a little early this year for some Utah State University students hoping to make a difference.
Over 100 students went trick-or-treating Wednesday and Thursday, asking for donations for the Cache Valley Food Pantry.
The event is an annual tradition sponsored by Students Together Ending Poverty (S.T.E.P.).
The purpose is to raise awareness about poverty in the valley and give students a chance to make a difference.
“(Poverty) is a very real problem, even here in Cache Valley. We try to give the opportunity to serve and dress up,” Ben Szilagyi, a junior majoring in international studies and co-director of S.T.E.P. said.
This year other groups added to the number of volunteers.
The service committee from the College of Education and Human Services helped organize the event.
A group from a MHR 3110 class joined to collect Thanksgiving-oriented food during the trick-or-treating.
The group hopes to give Thanksgiving dinner to residents in the valley that otherwise would not have one.
“It’s kind of a combined effort to provide Thanksgiving and food in general,” Szilagyi said.
Volunteers checked in at the TSC student center patio and were given a route. Just like the trick-or-treating tradition, they knocked door-to-door and residents donated the items.
Russell Ferry, a freshman majoring in history and philosophy heard about the event in his sociology class.
He came to the patio ready to help and met up with friends hoping to do the same.
“We did just a couple blocks, we had a good turnout,” Ferry said. “We got 10-15 bags, maybe up to a 100 cans.”
Ferry was surprised at the community’s willingness to support the students. He visited the residences east of the cemetary and Student Living Center.
Every house he went to on Wednesday donated food, or told them to come back Thursday.
It reminded him that there are people everywhere, even in Cache Valley that need extra help.
“I think it’s good that stuff like this happens so we can see that there’s always a chance to help people,” Ferry said. “I think that just because we don’t see as much poverty we don’t always look for ways to help people.
The event has become an annual tradition for some, Karen Gourley of the service committee for the College of Education and Human Services was at the event for the fifth year.
“I’ve had so much fun doing trick or treat that it’s fun to do annually,” Gourley said. Gourley helped the service committee get involved this year.
“There is education in poverty because people don’t know that there is poverty in our valley. [The food bank] needs items all of the time.”
-natandrews@cc.usu.edu