Trick-or-Treating in Middle School? For Food Donations, Friendly Hills Says Yes

Generally middle school is about when kids become “too old” to trick-or-treat on Halloween night. But this year students are making an exception for a good cause.

FHMS students will be trick-or-treating for canned goods next Monday to donate to food shelves at Augustana Lutheran Church and Neighbors, Inc. The effort is the initiative of their student group “SIA”—Students in Action—a service learning and leadership opportunity available to eighth-graders during flex time.

They’ve spoken to each grade level at the school to rally other trick-or-treaters to the cause, and are registering teams of students and parents.

“Our SIA group is doing a good job helping the community. I like how this event turns a fun holiday into a service learning opportunity,” said student Luke Brockman in a statement prepared by the students.

“This is a really neat blend of kids working together working for a common goal, and that is really exciting to be a part of,” said social studies teacher Stacy Lufkin, an advisor of the group along with science teacher Jennifer Christensen.

Demand for foodshelves in the area has grown in recent years. According to Neighbors, Inc. the number of families that used the foodshelf in Sept. 2011 rose 24 percent over the number of families that stopped in in Sept. 2010.

Lufkin said that students don’t generally talk about issues of poverty outright, but ”I know they’re very aware of it. We have a good mix of kids in our building, socio-economically, so kids are conscious of it but they’re also very careful not to make assumptions about other kids and situations.”

SIA members plan to unveil their loot in the school cafeteria on Nov. 1 for their classmates to see.

“I believe that this project will be good for both the students and the community because the students learn leadership and community service while supporting a worthwhile cause,” said Christensen. “I just want to get everyone excited about this and make a significant donation to our charities.”