Trick Or Treat So Others May Eat
Author: Kelly Gobbs
Trick or Treat So Others May Eat: A Long-Standing Townsend Tradition
Kelley Gobbs
Over 70 junior high and high school youth group students gathered this past Wednesday evening to take part in a long-standing event in the Townsend area. Trick or Treat So Others May Eat (TOTSOME) is a Townsend tradition dating back over 10 years. It was originally organized by the Townsend Ministerial Association, which included all of the churches and youth groups in Townsend. Apart from the 2020 COVID break, each Wednesday before Halloween, Townsend area students go door to door collecting food items for the Broadwater Food Pantry. This year participating churches included the Holy Cross Catholic Church, Church of Christ of LDS, and Trailhead Christian Fellowship.
The evening began at the Catholic Church, where everyone enjoyed a delicious chili dinner, complete with Father Cody’s special punch drink. All of the chili, cheese, chips, and yummy desserts were donated by members of the churches and Mountain Valley Church. After receiving instruction and dividing the routes, the students and adult chaperones split into 16 groups, which canvased most all of Townsend, including the golf course area and River Road. Once the route was complete or the group ran out of time, all of the food back is brought to the pantry, where it is received and weighed by the wonderful volunteer team of Broadwater Food Pantry. This year, Karoline, Roland, and Darryl were there to receive and weigh the food. All of the students look forward to finding out how much food they collected on their route, with it always being a good competition.
In total, the students collected over 1,600 pounds of food for the Broadwater Food Pantry. This is nearly enough to stock the pantry for the entire year in non-perishable food. This event wouldn’t be possible without the generous donations from the residents of Townsend and all of the students who go around collecting the food. Also, thank you Bob’s for supplying the bags to transport all of the food, and the Sheriff’s Office for keeping an eye on the students throughout the evening. TOTSOME is an event the youth groups look forward to every year. It’s a joy to see them all return to the food pantry, with their bounty collected, telling fun stories, and smiling ear to ear. We live in a great, safe, and generous community where traditions like these can stay alive, even now. Thanks Townsend! What a blessing it is to serve you all!
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