Waltham Group to trick-or-treat for canned goods on Halloween night

Photo/Lillian Elderkin

Halloween for the Hungry

Brandeis students will ring doorbells throughout Waltham on Halloween night – but not to ask for candy and chocolate.

Members of the Waltham Group will hit the streets for the 30th annual Halloween for the Hungry, an event in which students go door to door seeking non-perishable food, as well as clothing and personal items, to support the Middlesex Human Service Agency, which runs the Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen and two local shelters.

In addition, the Waltham Group will place collection boxes inside Admissions, Bernstein-Marcus, Olin-Sang and outside the Department of Community Living for staff to donate their canned goods.

Lillian Elderkin ’18, a Waltham Group coordinator who is organizing this year’s Halloween for the Hungry, is looking to get the campus as involved as possible in the outing.

“People are always really happy to do this with the Waltham Group,” said Elderkin, who is originally from Chicago and plans to trick-or-treat for canned goods dressed in "Where's Waldo" attire. “We get an amazing turnout each year and all the volunteers have a good time. The residents have fun too, they give us candy along with their donations of canned goods, which is cool.”

Students will trick-or-treat from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Halloween, traveling to areas surrounding the Brandeis campus including the South Street, Main Street, North and South Prospect Hills and Charles River neighborhoods.

Elderkin believes that roughly 100 volunteers will participate in Halloween for the Hungry this year. The Waltham Group – whose record for most cans is 4,000 – is looking to collect at least 3,000 this year.

“This goes to a truly wonderful cause,” Elderkin said. “Waltham Group works with the Middlesex Human Service Agency in a variety of ways. It’s a big charity that is heavily involved throughout the county, but they’re based in Waltham, which is cool.”

“They do a lot for Waltham residents who are experiencing homelessness,” said Elderkin, who majors in sociology and women’s and gender studies. “We like that the organization is Waltham-based but has such a broad reach.”

Elderkin has participated in Halloween for the Hungry twice and is encouraging all students to join in on the fun and spreading good will this year.

“We like to reach out to as many people as possible to encourage them to participate,” Elderkin said. “Student clubs can come as groups. We all go out together and it’s great team building. And you’re also doing something good for the world.”