To help combat hunger, UIS students collect 15,779 pounds of food on Halloween night

The University of Illinois Springfield students has collected about 15,779 pounds of food on Halloween night to combat hunger in Central Illinois. More than 200 students took part in this noble cause. About 14,779 pounds will go to Central Illinois Foodbank while the remaining 1,000 pounds will be donated to on-campus UIS Cares Food Pantry.

The 228 students were divided into 11 teams. They collected canned goods and other non-perishable food items by going door-to-door to several Springfield neighborhoods. The students explained the project to the people by distributing door hangers to the various neighborhoods. The teams that collected the most food were given prizes.

The Tri-Sigma sorority students collected 2,191 pounds of food in the Westwood Forum subdivision. Phi Kappa Tau fraternity students collected 2,122 pounds of food in the Mill Creek subdivision. The UIS Cox Children’s Center, for a fourth year, participated in the fun. They made the children go Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods on the campus.

The children were able to collect about 1,000 pounds of food for the UIS Cares Food Pantry. The Central Illinois Foodbank was established in 1982. The Foodbank does an amazing job as they serve about 9 million pounds of food annually to more than 160 food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21-county region.

The UIS Cares Food Pantry was started in 2016. The Pantry is located in the Student Affairs Building. The pantry was established to help the students suffering from food insecurity on campus.