Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Select trick-or-treaters will be collecting more than just candy Tuesday night as volunteers go door-to-door on behalf of Napanee’s Morning Star Mission.
They’ll be accepting donations of food which will go a long way towards helping feed the less fortunate this winter.
“We are looking at an annual Halloween food drive,” said Kevin Alkenbrack, executive director of the Morning Star Mission, who notes the Oct. 31 drive will help fill in the gap following their food drive in May. “If we do an October into November food drive, that gives us six months when we’re replenishing our shelves.”
Anyone looking to volunteer for the Halloween food drive can call Alkenbrack at 613-354-6355. They’ll then meet at the Morning Star Mission at 59 Water St. W at 5:30 p.m. on Halloween night for a light snack and route assignment. After completing the route, they’ll bring the food back to the Mission where everyone is invited to enjoy dinner.
“It’s a convenient time to do (a food drive) because the people that want people coming to the door will have the lights on,” said Alkenbrack. “So we’re not knocking on the doors of people that aren’t home.”
Anyone who wants to make a donation can have items such as canned meat, canned milk, canned fruit, deodorant, shampoo, spaghetti sauce, pasta, peanut butter and breakfast cereal ready to give to the canvassers when they show up at the door.
“Once Christmas comes, a lot of low income people run out of money because they buy Christmas presents and do everything everyone else does, except they’re on a fixed income,” said Alkenbrack. “Food tends to run short, that’s usually the first thing that goes. This (food drive) just allows us to fill our inventory when we need it the most.”