This Halloween, a group of local kids will be going door to door in Lakefield seeking out treats not for themselves, but for those in need.
No trick here, said Holly Schmit, Lutheran Youth Fellowship leader at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
“Our LYF kids will be going out on Halloween door to door within the city limits of Lakefield looking for donations from people for the Lakefield Food Shelf,” Schmit said. “They will be out from around 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. — about one hour — asking people to help the food shelf out, especially in these hard economic times when the need is even greater.”
The kids — about 24 of them, in the seventh- through 12th-grade age levels — will be going up to doors in the community and telling residents who they are and why they are doing this, hoping to help make a difference for those in need this year, Schmit said.
“We do this every year, but this year decided to do it a little different in our collecting food shelf items,” Schmit said. “I had been looking for a new idea as to how we could do this differently this year and found one on the Internet. So instead of the LYF kids dropping bags at people’s homes and picking them up later with food shelf donations in them, this year they will go out on Halloween, and I’m not sure whether they will be in costumes or not, but will go door to door just asking people to donate items to the food shelf.”
Typical examples of items they are hoping to have donated this year include Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, boxed macaroni and cheese, spaghetti sauce, canned fruit, cereals, pork and beans and complete meals like pancake mix, syrup, peanut butter and jelly or any other non-perishable items. Additionally, personal hygiene products can also be donated, such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap or shampoo.
“Really, we all benefit from helping the food shelf out,” Schmit said. “The needy benefit from the items donated and the food baskets given out by the Lakefield Food Shelf, the people donating benefit knowing they are helping those that truly need help and these kids benefit knowing they are giving of their time and efforts to help others beyond themselves.”
Anyone not home at the time the LYF kids comes by on Halloween or who lives out of town but still wishes to donate can stop by Immanuel Lutheran Church’s office and drop off a donation anytime between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. If someone is missed on Saturday and needs help making a donation, he or she can call the church office and someone will come and pick donations up, Schmit said.
“We are doing this to offer people an opportunity to help those in need and not even have to leave their homes to do it,” Schmit said. “Monetary gifts can also be donated to the food shelf and those funds will be used to purchase the more perishable food items for needy people, such as meat, milk or fresh produce.”
