By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Food insecurity is scary. That’s one reason a Bowling Green State University student is planning a Halloween-themed food drive this week.
Sofia Plass, a senior theater student, is organizing ‘Scaroling for Cans,” a community service initiative to collect nonperishable food items to help stock the shelves at the Brown Bag Food Project.
She is rounding up other students and community members “who want to put a spooky spin on traditional caroling.”
“Scaroling for Cans” is a takeoff on “Caroling for Cans,” a community food drive Plass participated in growing up in Willowick, Ohio.
“I even have an old news segment from my childhood involvement,” she said. “Now, as part of my LEAD 2010 course through BGSU’s Ray Marvin Center for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, I’m excited to bring my own Halloween version of that tradition to Bowling Green.”
On Friday, Oct. 30 from about 5:30-8:30, participants will meet in front of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union dressed in Halloween costumes, before heading out in small groups to visit neighborhoods around the BGSU campus. They will knock on doors, sing Halloween songs and ask for donations of canned goods, nonperishable food items and personal hygiene products.
“We’ll be singing up some scares with Halloween-themed songs, chants or skits and hope to scare up some cans,” she said.
“We’ll sing songs such as ‘Purple People Eater’—That’s by all means is a Halloween song, and it’s a good one too,” she explained convincingly. There are other BGSU songs and chants with some of the words changed to fit the scary theme.
Plass is also working to coordinate some donation drop-off locations on and off campus for people who would like to contribute but don’t live in the neighborhoods that will be visited by scaroling volunteers. Currently, Grounds for Thought (147 S. Main St.) has agreed to have a donation box. Additional sites will be listed on Plass’s website: https://sofiaplass.my.canva.site/scaroling-for-cans-website. Donations will be picked up on Oct. 31 and Nov .4.
Insomnia Cookies and Campus Pollyeyes contributed gift certificates that will be given away as prizes for the scaroler or group collecting the most canned goods; the best-dressed scaroler for the most creative Halloween costume; and the most spirited scaroler who exhibits the most enthusiasm and energy.
“This is our first year, and we’re putting everything together on a pretty short timeline,” she said. “I know we might start small, but honestly, even if we collect just a few cans, I’ll be happy knowing we’ve contributed something to our community. I’m especially excited to get other students involved in a project that means so much to me.”
Being a Thompson Scholar at BGSU has provided so many opportunities to help people, she said. Fighting food insecurity is very important to Plass, dating back to when she was younger. “There was some talk going around about kids my age who weren’t able to get lunches or they would have to get lunches from the school … And I didn’t like seeing people suffering,” she said. “I get teared up just thinking about it even now.”
“Scaroling for Cans” is meant to help the community by addressing food insecurity,” said the aspiring actress/director. “Even if I don’t make it big as an actress or director, I want to leave my mark on the world, and I think this is a good start,” she said.
