La Crosse students collecting non-perishable food this Halloween

Students and staff from Central High Schoo will be collecting non-perishable food items on the south side of La Crosse this Halloween during their annual Trick-or-Can event.

Nearly 100 Central students and staff will participate including student groups such as football, boys soccer, girls and boys cross country, and girls tennis teams as well as students from Distributive Education Clubs of America along with other contributing students and staff.

“We see friends and people in our community who don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” John Havlicek, Central High School teacher said. “Hunger exists all around us, and by volunteering our time and resources as a group, we can make an impact. If you can donate you’ll help a hungry student at school or provide a neighbor with a meal, so we invite you to join us.”

The students and staff collecting food will be in the neighborhoods around Central High School during the regular Trick-or-Treating hours on Thursday, October 31. Central High School students and staff will be wearing their athletic uniforms or Central High School apparel (as possible) and have an event flyer with them.

The food collected will benefit the Hunger Task Force and the school’s food pantry ‘La Cocina.’ Last year, students collected over 2,000 items. They hope to collect 3,000 non-perishable food items in 2019.

Some of the non-perishable food items suggested for donation include peanut butter, canned beans, canned fruit, canned meat, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, and breakfast items – cereal, boxed breakfast/granola bars, and oatmeal.