The Journal

Issue date: 11/2/06 Section: LifeStyle

Media Credit: Max Gersh Jared Gordon (left) and Sean Hunt collect canned food and money from Webster Groves resident Lee Marshall. All donations from the evening are being distributed to La Clinica and Centenary Church.

On Oct. 31, a day usually reserved for donning ghoulish costumes and trolling neighborhoods in quest of the best Halloween loot, a group of 13 Webster students chose to go door-to-door, gathering food and money for homeless and hungry St. Louisans.

Senior Nikki Dukes, a social sciences major led this year's edition of Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat. Dukes began participating in the fundraiser as a teenager in her hometown of Kansas City and has been involved in the program for the past eight years.

"Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat is a fun way to do a service for other people," Dukes said. "It's a way to make sure people are getting the things they need."

Dukes said the program originated in the 1980s in Kansas City, where a group of teenagers decided to trick-or-treat for charitable donations instead of candy. The idea quickly gained popularity and the program expanded. Dukes said that, in Kansas City, she would typically collect goods with a group of 30 or 40 trick-or-treaters of all ages. Dukes has led the program at Webster for three years and said she usually has five or six trick-or-treaters. Each year a car will drive behind them to collect the goods. She added that last year her group gathered a trunk full of goods.

"In Webster Groves, we haven't had such huge groups," Dukes said. "This year, we're hoping for about 10 volunteers."

Dukes said the small number of participants makes it difficult to canvass large areas. She said, before Halloween, volunteers commonly distribute flyers and advertisements to each house in their neighborhood. The flyers contain information about the fundraiser as well as the time volunteers will return to collect donations. If the homeowners choose to participate, they can display the door hanger and leave a box or bag of goods on their stoop. Dukes said this policy works well if people are not home on Halloween night. But with fewer volunteers, the policy proves inefficient.

"Unfortunately, there are not always enough volunteers to ensure that every house in the community is visited," Dukes said.

Continued...

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