A new initiative this year, Halloween for Hunger is a community food drive in partnership with Kamloops Food Bank that will be active throughout October.
The idea came from Carly Irrgang, events coordinator for Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) and was made into a reality with the help of the events team including Liz Wilkinson, events and partnerships manager, and Milly Driver, the other events coordinator.
Anyone can drop off non-perishable items at Ohana Deli, Guest Services, Burfield Admin and Tourism Sun Peaks until Oct. 31, when the fun part will be afoot.
Capping off Halloween for Hunger, volunteers will go door-to-door and collect canned goods with the chance to win prizes on Halloween night.
Halloween for Hunger: how it came to be
Since joining the events team at SPR nearly two years ago, Carly Irrgang saw the opportunity to finally bring to fruition an idea she’s had for a while.
She did food drives similar to Halloween for Hunger back in high school and now sees her position as an opportunity to give back in an even larger capacity, especially given the connections she’s been able to make since moving to Sun Peaks in 2018.
Growing up with not a lot herself, she has seen the value firsthand in food banks and similar services.
“Food banks and other social supports were an important part of my childhood around the holidays for my family,” she said, explaining that with them, family dinners became her favourite part of the holiday.
“Our community is just so loving and giving,” she said as well, seeing the potential for a successful response to requests for donations.
Officially, the team began piecing together things last month to get this event organized.
Milly Driver shared posters and dropped off donation bins to the collection points.
These bins, along with tins for people to donate cash, came from Kamloops Food Bank, who will be collecting the donations and distributing it through their warehouse.
“It’s a bit slow at the moment,” Wilkinson said. “But that’s what we would expect, it’s a brand new initiative.”
The team believes Halloween night will bring in a higher amount of donations, offering folks the convenience of door-to-door donation pickup and reminders in the form of flyers, allowing them time to prepare and put together food items.
Halloween night
On Halloween night, folks are already expecting visitors at their door, creating the perfect opportunity for volunteers to collect non-perishables and perhaps get a little treat themselves.
The events team is seeking teams of volunteers or singles that will be sorted into teams. Each team will have a driver and will set out on their specific route, covering Sun Peaks and Whitecroft with everyone’s help.
Sun Peaks itself doesn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters, Irrgang said, and hopes that this event can make the village more vibrant.
“We encourage costumes,” she said, adding the sponsors will be donating prizes for best dressed and best team spirit.
Volunteers don’t have to worry about missing out on any Halloween plans as the event will be over by 8 p.m.
Through word-of-mouth, Wilkinson and Irrgang each said they have heard many people express interest in volunteering, though no commitments have been made just yet.
Interest has been shown from mainly adults, but Irrgang said she hopes to get high school kids involved.
“I know there’s an awkward period when you’re in high school where you get a little bit too old to go door to door asking for candy,” she said. “It’s a great way to really keep the spirit of Halloween going, but just with a little bit of a better cause.”
The volunteer experience won’t only be fun, but can go toward volunteer credits for graduation, she added.
Growing Halloween for Hunger and fall events
“In the future we’re planning to grow Halloween with more events,” Irrgang said. “As of right now, this is just the starting piece.”
Plans to expand for next year include working with Tourism Sun Peaks to make more of a village event, with discussions of a zombie walk to elevate the spooky atmosphere.
This year, Ohana Deli and Market and Style for Everyone hair salon hopped on board as event sponsors for Halloween for Hunger, which helps with prizes to incentivize volunteers.
An additional expansion for next year would be to hopefully pull in more local businesses.
With Halloween for Hunger as a tradition, the shoulder season can be a bit more booming.
“We don’t get a lot of tourists this time, so I think it’s a really good opportunity to do something that’s very local based,” Irrgang said.
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