Thanks to a local teenager, the Jasper Food Bank will receive extra food donations this Halloween week.

Theresa Westhaver has arranged for the elementary school to be the site of a new program called Halloween for Hunger. In collaborating with the Community Outreach Services and two local elementary schools, Westhaver has organized a food drive throughout the week leading up to Halloween for the local food bank.

“It’s going pretty good right now. We’ve got the information out to the community and lots of people are asking about it,” Westhaver said.

Halloween for hunger is a national campaign organized by Free the Children, the organization that helped Westhaver travel to Kenya last summer. She said the program promotes community leadership, and this is a continuation of that work. The campaign is a little different than the Christmas food bank drive, she said, as there is a greater emphasis on raising awareness.

“The program is aimed at elementary school kids. It brings awareness about the food bank. We want the kids to know where the food is going and why they are collecting food,” Westhaver said.

Schools have been receptive to the plan.

“She contacted us to see if we wanted to do something,” said Jasper Elementary School vice-principal Paulette Trottier. “We are gathering food for the food bank, which is part of her campaign. Originally she hoped that we would have the kids pick up food things during Halloween night, but we felt that was really up to parents, not up to the school, and it’s pretty heavy for the kids to carry.”

Food will be collected until Nov. 2, and drop off boxes are available at the elementary school, École Desrochers and the Jasper Activity Centre. Residents can pick up flyers at those locations and stick them on their door, alerting trick or treaters that they can pick up food bank items at those homes.

“We’re only asking the kids to collect food from one or two houses along the way,” Westhaver said.

The food bank is looking for non-perishable items, and collections will be tallied at the end of the drive.

Trottier said the school really wanted to be a part of Westhaver’s campaign, so they decided to have a food drive leading up to Halloween.

The school has a box at the front entrance, and people are welcome to come in drop off food for the food bank.

Also in preparation for Halloween is a haunted house that is being put together by the Grade 6 class. The haunted house will be open to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 3:30-5:00 and on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 3:30-4:30. The haunted house costs one dollar per person, and the money collected will go to a charitable cause.

(With files from Justin Brisbane)