Trick-or-Treat…
for canned goods!

If our government refuses to show up for us, we will show up for each other.

Nearly 1 in 8 Americans depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries. But with the ongoing government shutdown and the Trump administration’s refusal to mobilize contingency funds for food assistance, these Americans will likely see SNAP come to a halt in November.

As a result, local food pantries are preparing for a massive influx of folks in need of support at a time when the government is choosing to fail them. These are our neighbors, friends, and colleagues.

If our government refuses to show up for us, we will show up for each other. And we can have fun while doing it! Instead of just trick-or-treating for candy this year, trick-or-treat for canned goods and non-perishables and donate them to your local food bank.

How it works

1.

Get a group together

Whether you are a parent bringing the neighborhood kids together or a young professional leaning into your childhood nostalgia, anyone can go trick-or-treating for canned goods. Call up your friends, put a fun costume on, and make a plan to go trick-or-treating. Use these graphics to share with others on social media and recruit friends to join you.

2.

Choose a local food bank

Food banks collect food and distribute it to food pantries. They exist in many of our neighborhoods, municipalities, towns, and cities. Choose a food pantry to donate to. For bonus points, call them and see if they have any specific needs (like canned veggies or beans or fish) so that you can get the goods that they need or that are most popular. For help finding a food bank near you, use the Feeding America Food Bank Locator.

3.

Optional: distribute flyers

Use this handy canva template to make and print flyers. Hand these out in your neighborhood, leave them on people’s doorsteps, or paste them around your neighborhood so people know that you’ll be coming around to collect cans. If you’d like to recruit folks to join you, or just want to share that you’re trick-or-treating for canned goods this year, feel free to use these graphics to share on socials.

4.

Go Trick-or-treating!

Whether in your neighborhood or in your apartment building, grab your squad, put on a fun costume, and go collect cans! Post a photo with the hashtag #trickortreatforcannedgoods to share your impact online.

Helpful Hint 1: Instead of a pillow case, perhaps use a grocery cart to wheel cans around. They can get heavy!

Helpful Hint 2: If people offer you candy, have a lil treat, you deserve it!

5.

Donate the goods!

Once you’ve collected the cans, make a plan to donate them to the food bank of your choice. Let us know how many cans you collected by filling out this form!