Etobicoke students deliver food instead of treats this Halloween

WATCH: We Scare Hunger Campaign encourages students to ask for a non-perishable food item for Halloween instead of just a treat. Angie Seth reports.

TORONTO – 2000 pounds. It’s not just a number, but a goal for the students at St. Marcellus Catholic School in Etobicoke.

This year they are hoping to collect 2000 pounds of non-perishable food items for local food banks as part of the Free the Children’s We Scare Hunger Campaign.

The theme this season is Halloween and instead of a treat, donations of non-perishable food items are collected to help feed a child in need.

The students along with several others at over 4000 schools across North America are encouraging  their fellow classmates, teachers, parents, and neighbours to check their cupboards and shelves for any food items they can give.

“I think this is really important for people living in poverty because they really don’t have much and we are here to join the movement and help,” said Sophie Vaz, grade 6 student  at St. Marcellus Catholic School.

“Everybody should be aware of what’s happening. So everybody should be donating food that they can give.”

According to Free the Children, last year 1.7 million Canadians used a food bank with 40 percent of those being children.

Charities like Free the Children say the number is just too high and the amount of food available on the shelves is not enough to meet the need.

“This is a critical issue. One out of two Canadians that went to a food bank last year were actually denied because of the critical shortage of food at the food banks,” said Ashley Coullier, Director of Youth and Educational programming with Free the Children.

“Food banks, as best they can do, they often run out of food, which is why campaigns like these especially at peak seasons like Thanksgiving and Christmas are so important.”

The We Scare Hunger Campaign goes on in schools across North America until Halloween, but people are being encouraged to donate whatever they can to their local food bank to help keep the shelves stocked with food.

“I think it is really important. Individuals themselves can make a difference.Someone might think one person cannot make a difference by themselves, but you can actually,” said grade 8 student Priscilla Prakash.

The students at St. Marcellus Catholic School so far have collected 1200 pounds of food and they have no plans of backing down on achieving their goal of 2000 pounds.

When the campaign is over, an estimated 1.2 million pounds of food will be collected and distributed to local food banks.