For most of us, Halloween is a great celebratory occasion. Growing up, it was one of the holidays we would look forward to the most, with the traditional scary costumes and candy-gathering. As we have transitioned to college, it’s still a highly important occasion, as the candy-gathering is slowly replaced by elaborately themed parties. All in all, that night is still one of the most fun every year.
Sadly, for many Ohio families, Oct. 31 is just another day among weeks of hunger and hardship. The Mid-Ohio Food Bank, a branch of Feed America, estimated that 40,000 people receive emergency aid from a food pantry every week in Ohio. In just the last year, more than 248,000 people — including 86,975 children and 17,935 seniors — received emergency food through Mid-Ohio.
The cold season is especially grueling in Ohio, as many of us have undoubtedly experienced on our walks to class the past few weeks. Yet it’s been even more excruciating for many of our fellow Ohioans. More than 57 percent of the people served by Ohio’s food pantries have had to choose between paying the utilities and buying food, according to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank’s 2010 local hunger study. Forty-three percent had to choose between the mortgage and food.
Many Ohio State students do their best to help out, pitching in by giving away food items and volunteering at food pantries. One of the most prominent Halloween events for the needy was conceived by a Buckeye.
Sunday will be the third annual Very Sharey Halloween event, a canned food drive sponsored by OSU’s Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. At 1 p.m. on Halloween, students will gather at the Wexner Plaza before they go to surrounding neighborhoods collecting cans for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. The student organization with the biggest showing gets a prize.
It’s important to realize just how fortunate we are. The vast majority of us go through the week without worrying about food, shelter and other necessities. Many don’t have those simple luxuries that we take for granted.
Giving back shouldn’t be hard and it doesn’t take away much from our daily routines.
This Halloween, we should all have fun wearing our elaborate costumes and battling the cold weather to go out with friends. But as we put on our costumes, let’s remember that many don’t have the luxury of such comfort. As we feel cold chills when we go out, let’s remember that many don’t have a way to combat that cold. Let’s remember that many around us have no shelter or food.
Giving back not only helps the community prosper and grow, but it also helps us better ourselves as individuals, as it gives us a sense of relief and comfort when we help out a neighbor. Let’s remember that this Halloween and take some time to help someone else.
