University of Illinois Springfield students collected 9,074 pounds of food and grocery items during the annual Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods event on Sunday, Oct. 27. A total of 10 teams, comprised of more than 130 students, went door-to-door in Springfield neighborhoods.

All items collected will be donated to Central Illinois Foodbank, which distributes supplies to food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21-county region.

Last week, students canvassed neighborhoods and distributed door hangers explaining the project. Teams then returned their collected items to campus, where the food was weighed. Prizes were awarded to the top-performing teams.

The Leadership for Life service organization took first place in total food collected, while the joint team from Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha received the award for most pounds collected per person.

The UIS Cox Children’s Center hosted a Trunk-or-Treat event last week, gathering 944 pounds of food for the UIS Cares Food Pantry. Located in the Human Resources Building, the pantry was established in 2016 to assist UIS students facing food insecurity.

For more information, or to donate additional items, contact the UIS Volunteer Center at 217-206-7716 or volunteer@uis.edu.