Trick or Treating with a Cause: Berkley High School Students Take on the Halloween for Hunger Challenge

Berkley students: a united force against local poverty.

The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and Canada is often cited as one of the best places in the world to live. However, both of these countries suffer greatly from a huge problem: domestic poverty.

On Canadian streets between 200,000 and 300,000 people are homeless and another 1.7 million Canadians have serious trouble affording housing. [1] In the United States, two to three per cent of the population—that’s five to eight million people—will spend at least one night sleeping in the cold. [2]

Homelessness is not the only face of domestic poverty. In many schools, students come to class without having had breakfast or without a lunch to sustain them through the day.

Realizing the challenges facing their own community, students from Berkley High School in Berkley, Michigan, took on the Halloween for Hunger challenge and became an inspiration to all of us. On October 31, 2006, over a dozen students took to the streets, armed with Halloween for Hunger posters and costumes, eager to collect food for their local food bank. In a community where 8 out of every 100 people live below the poverty line, students went door to door to engage their neighbours in confronting this issue head-on. Instead of asking for tasty Halloween candy, they asked for boxed and canned foods that they could donate to their local food bank.

Abundance: not a reality for every North American

Not only did the efforts of Berkley High School result in a garage full of canned goods and other non-perishable food items, but it also served as an example of small actions making a difference. Last winter, food bank recipients in Berkley had an additional 2,000 pounds of food to help support families in need thanks to the efforts of these students. The local newspaper was so impressed by their actions that they highlighted the group’s success in the days following Halloween.

A special thanks to Berkley High students for showing us that it is possible to address local issues, create stronger communities, and have fun while doing it!

Helpful Hints from Helpful Links

Learn more about Halloween for Hunger and how to bring the campaign to your school 
Find out more about the important role of food banks 
Read about the “bystander effect” and how you can avoid it 

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.