<ch year on Halloween, groups of Carleton students flood the well-lit Northfield streets in their hilarious costumes, knocking on doors for canned goods. The event, Trick or Treat for Canned Goods, has become an annual tradition sponsored by Carleton’s chapter of Mortar Board.
Students are split into teams, and each team is sent to a designated block of Northfield with a map and directions. Teams that must travel to outer neighborhoods are provided with a campus vehicle. The goal is to collect as many canned goods as possible, and at the end of the trick or treat excursion, teams gather at the Stadium to have their cans counted.
“Last year we raised 4450 lbs of foods,” Rose Kantor ‘10, one of the current coordinators of the event said.
The goods are donated to the food shelf at the Northfield Community Action Center. This center is a non-profit that provides services to the residents of the Northfield School district who have incomes that are 200% below federal guidelines. The organization established its Sustaining Food Shelf Program in 1985, and according to its website, about 240 local families share about 19,000 pounds of food each month.
Families receiving food from the center include, but are not limited to: women escaping from domestic violence issues, mothers of children under the age of 6, mothers who live 185% below the poverty level and are not receiving government assistance and senior citizens living 130% below the poverty level. The organization also delivers donated goods to the disabled.
Furthermore, all of the food is donated by churches, individuals, businesses and programs like Carleton’s Trick or Treat for Canned Goods. Thus, as an incentive to increase participation, the event sponsor will reward the top three teams with prizes. The winning team will receive the honor of dining with President Oden.