OSU’s Trick or Treating for Canned Goods will collect nonperishable foods and monetary donations for the OSU Food Pantry. 

Trick or treating does not have to be just for children at Oregon State University. This Saturday, OSU students will have the opportunity to not only wear costumes and go door to door, but also give back to the community.  

On Oct. 29, the Center for Civic Engagement is hosting the annual Human Service Resource Center/Oregon State University’s Trick or Treat Food Pantry event. This event begins at 5:30 p.m. and volunteers are trick or treating for canned goods in the Witham Hill Oaks area. This event is available for any students, staff and faculty at OSU.

“We collect canned, nonperishable foods for the OSU Emergency Food Pantry,” said Media and Communications Coordinator Helene Matschek. “It’s a really fun event, we always encourage students to wear costumes and it’s in a pretty populated residential area so we always see other families in Witham Hills. It’s been super fun the last couple years.”

The CCE provides the logistics and promoting for this Halloween while the HSRC collects the canned goods and monetary donations and distributes it to OSU Emergency Food Pantry.

These two programs have been working together on this event for the past few years, according to Matschek.  

“We meet on campus and transportation is provided and our staff distributes fliers a couple days before just so residents in the neighborhood know that we are coming,” Matschek said. “We have had a really positive response from the neighborhood every year.”

This year, more spots will be allowed for people to sign up based off of the outcome of recent years and signing up before hand is highly encouraged, according to Matschek.  

“I believe we had 12 volunteers last year, but we have 20 spots this year. So we really want to make sure people know, it is slightly limited, but that there’s a lot more room this year to participate. So please don’t hesitate to sign up,” Matschek said.

The event is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, so there is still the opportunity to enjoy the other Halloween weekend events as well as doing this event.

This event provides students with a different opportunity to celebrate Halloween, according to Outreach Coordinator Michael Sullivan.

“This is my first year doing it, I have only heard positive things so it’s exciting to see there is an alternative option on the weekend on Halloween and you know you make some sort of impact in the community,” Sullivan said.

Trick or Treating for Canned Goods not only provides students with Halloween entertainment, but also is working towards benefitting the community, which is what made psychology first year student Bianca Robison interested in the event.

“When we did a similar event in my high school, it really brought our community together and brought us face to face with how we have the capacity to make a great impact, even with simple actions like donating food,” Robison said. “I was excited to find out that OSU will be having this event.”

For more information and where to sign up visit OSU’s Student Leadership and Involvements website.