Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus Food Bank will be hosting their annual Halloween for Hunger event on Oct. 27, where students can sign up in teams of three or four to go trick-or-treating to collect non-perishable food items from around Waterloo to go back to the food bank to support students.
“Basically the event is a trick-or-treating food drive: so we look for canned goods and any non-perishable food items people will give in the KW area. It’s more of a residential area, so we’re just asking them if they have any extra stuff that they can give out. It’s completely volunteer based: so not just those with the Food Bank,” said Alex Klingmann, the food bank coordinator at Laurier’s Waterloo campus.
“It goes mostly to Laurier Food Bank, but any expired items we would donate to other KW services that are able to make sure the food is safe and then still give it out, so that nothing goes to waste,” Klingmann said.
The aim of the event is to expand the inventory for the services that the food bank can provide to students, as the food bank works on a 24/7 basis to be able to help out students who are stressed physically, mentally and financially.
“Volunteers can sign up on our event page, there are Google Docs for any Laurier student, so they don’t have to be a food bank volunteer: they can sign up to volunteer as either a trick-or-treater or a driver.”
“Every Wednesday we are in the concourse for the Farmers’ Market, where we sell fresh product at cost to students, just to give them an option that’s healthy and on campus so they don’t have to [go] out to Walmart to get food,” Klingmann said.
On top of weekly events like the Farmers’ Market, the food bank also hosts monthly pancake breakfasts and yearly events, like Halloween for Hunger, as well as their Boar’s Head Dinner, where students can pay five dollars for a three-course meal — each year’s dinner being catered by Wilf’s.
“The last Tuesday of the month we have our pancake breakfast where we just give out free pancakes in the concourse and the next one is going to be on Oct. 30. On Nov. 27 will be our Boar’s Head three-course dinner and those are available to all Laurier students,” Klingmann said.
As for their next event, Halloween for Hunger, they are aiming to provide the most impact to Laurier as they can and encourage volunteers to come out on the twenty-seventh to help out fellow Golden Hawks.
“Last year we did get over 800 items just from the one day alone and in previous years they have gotten over 1000 items — which is crazy.” Klingmann said.
“Volunteers can sign up on our event page, there are Google Docs for any Laurier student, so they don’t have to be a food bank volunteer: they can sign up to volunteer as either a trick-or-treater or a driver.”
“In general, it’s just a positively great initiative that really brings the Laurier community and the general KW community together to help students in need.” Klingmann said.
