Published by Communications and Public Affairs 519 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338

News Release

October 16, 2006

'Trick or Eat' Campaign Blitz Begins

When costumed University of Guelph students go door to door from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Halloween, they won’t be asking for candy for themselves — they’ll be collecting food for the Guelph Food Bank.

The annual “Trick or Eat” campaign is organized by Meal Exchange, a national student-run organization that aims to engage students from 40 Canadian campuses in solving the problem of hunger in their communities.

To get things started, a campaign blitz will be held tomorrow in Branion Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to recruit volunteers for this year’s “Trick or Eat” event. Volunteers will paint the canon with the Trick or Eat logo and will be giving out cotton candy, treats and registration information.

U of G students have taken part in the “Trick or Eat” initiative since 2002. “We hope to surpass last year’s record of 800 student volunteers and collecting more than $52,000 worth of food in just three hours,” said Leisha Zamecnik, Meal Exchange central co-ordinator and fourth-year U of G student. “We’re so proud of what we accomplished last year, but I know that we can raise more food this year with even more student involvement and community awareness.”

Students can sign up to participate in “Trick or Eat” until Oct. 31. Cash donations can also be made online with proceeds going to the 17 community organizations that Meal Exchange helps to support.

For more information, email meal@uoguelph.ca. To register, visit www.uoguelph.ca/~meal.