Southeast Event Centre to host Halloween food drive

The Southeast Event Centre is hosting a Halloween food drive and carnival on Oct. 31.

The SCU Halloween for Hunger event in Steinbach will see families from across the Southeast enjoying games and Halloween based activities. Although this is a free event, organizers are encouraging visitors to donate a non-perishable food item that will go to South East Helping Hands.

“The whole point of Halloween for Hunger is to scare away that hunger for the fall. So, fill up the food bank before this chilly weather settles in as much as we can,” said catering and hospitality manager Nadja Gowland.

Gowland chose South East Helping Hands because they are local, they do a lot with the Pistons, and they are always in need of food. In 1986, when the organization officially became what it is today, it was serving 10 to 15 families bi-weekly, today it serves 400 bi-weekly. As South East Helping Hands is independently run, it relies on donations.

Gowland decided to create Halloween for Hunger because she wanted children to have a whole day where they could get dressed up and enjoy Halloween rather than just dressing up in the evening and trick-or-treating for a couple of hours.

Activities will run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Children can enjoy Halloween themed activity zones such as a bouncy castle and carnival games like tic-tac skulls, craft and colouring studio with mask making and cauldron bubble painting, and a Halloween photo gallery where kids can take pictures of themselves in costume with a Halloween themed backdrop.

Gowland said the activity she thinks will really entertain children is the sensory exploration bins, which will be available between 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. for children that are sensitive to sounds and lights and other sensory stimulations.

“I’m really hoping that’s a big focus, because I just want to make sure that the people that might not necessarily go out trick-or-treating later on in the evening because of things, and they can still celebrate in a way,” she said.

Jokingly, Gowland said the event is a nice way for kids to burn off some energy before they go out and eat a lot of sugar. “I just wanted to create something that could be enjoyed by all. Like I say, sometimes Halloween, I mean maybe not this year, but sometimes it’s minus 10 out there and we’ve already got snow, and people can’t get out and about and enjoy the activity.”

The Halloween for Hunger event will be held at the gymnasium and hall at SEC. Gowland said 350 goodie bags will be handed out to kids during the event.