Trick Or Treat So Others May Eat: A Long-standing Townsend Tradition
Author: Kelley Gobbs, Trailhead Church
Trick Or Treat So Others May Eat: A Long-standing Townsend Tradition
Kelley Gobbs
Trailhead Church
Over 90 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 12 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, Elkhorn Community Fellowship, and Trailhead Christian Fellowship Church.
The evening began at the Catholic Church, where everyone enjoyed a delicious chili dinner, with all of the chili, cheese, chips, and yummy desserts donated by members of the churches and Mountain Valley Church. After receiving instruction and dividing the 16 routes, the students and adult chaperones split into groups, which canvased most all of Townsend. Once the route is complete or the group ran out of time, they bring all of the food back to the pantry, where it is received and weighed by the wonderful volunteer team of Broadwater Food Pantry. The students look forward to finding out how much food they collected on their route, with it always a healthy competition.
In total, the students collected 2,180 pounds of food for the Broadwater Food Pantry, which is a new record for the event. All of this 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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PhotoCredit: Kelley Gobbs Photo
Image 1 Caption: Local youth were further motivated by a friendly competition to find out which group gathered the most in donations.
Kelley Gobbs Photo
Image 2 Caption: Over 2,000 pounds of food was gathered in donations to Broadwater Food Pantry!
Kelley Gobbs Photo
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