On Oct. 29, Holland’s Meijer Campus got a little sweeter, as Phi Mu and Delta Sigma Alpha hosted “Trunk or Treat”. From 6-8 p.m., volunteers passed out candy to the kids of staff, faculty, alumni and students from the trunks of their cars. Kids also got the chance to get inside and away from the chilly weather to decorate pumpkins and watch Halloween movies.

“Everyone was delighted to see the little ones come up and tell us what they were for Halloween and you could tell how excited they were to be able to get to,” said John Gezon, a member of Delta Sigma Phi.

The ‘trunk or treat’ fad has popped up as an alternative to trick-or-treating in the last few years. Instead of walking around city blocks on a cold Autumn evening, collecting candy from strangers, parents can accompany their kids to a one-stop-shop event that is not only safer, but more convenient.

Usually held in parking lots of college campuses, churches, or grocery stores, trunk-or-treating is becoming the norm, especially for families with small children who can’t go trick or treating alone. Kids still get the joy of dressing up as little ghosts, mini bumblebees, and fairies, and get just as much, if not more, candy – and parents can feel good about seeing the people the kids are receiving the candy from. Trunk-or-treating encourages community involvement and allows participants an environment more conducive to mingling than trick or treating does.

Not only is the Trunk or Treat event great for the Holland community at large, but, specifically, GVSU students or alumni with kids reap benefits.

“It is a great opportunity for students who have kids to ‘bring them to the place where dad or mom goes to school,’ so that these parent students can explain to their kids about college,” said Emily DeLano, GVSU student and graduate assistant at the Holland Campus. “Trunk or treat is also a community building time where you can meet families, GVSU staff members, and new friends.”

This year’s Trunk or Treat in Holland was by far the largest the campus has seen. Approximately 70 kids attended and $200 worth of candy (around 27 bags), was distributed.

“There were 35 Greek community members (Phi Mu and Delta Sigma Phi) in attendance and all were dressed in costumes to pass out the candy,” Lindy Barnes said. “Once the kids went trunk-or-treating, they were able to go inside to decorate their own pumpkin and watch a Halloween movie as well.”

Halloween music was played and the students involved from Phi Mu and Delta Sigma Alpha entertained the kids and although it was cold, the volunteers still came dressed as cats, devils, cowgirls, and princesses; they manned cars full of candy and handed it out gladly to all who came.

“This was my first time attending Trunk or Treat, so I was not sure what to expect, especially with the dreary October weather,” said Kelsey Williams, philanthropy chair of Phi Mu. “I was surprised to see so many kids bundled up just to come trunk-or-treating with us…I can safely say that their smiles made everything we did in preparation, as well as braving the cold, more than worthwhile. I must say that my favorite costumes included a little girl dressed up as Merida, from Pixar’s newest movie Brave, (wig and all) and her younger brother dressed as a fully decked out pirate.”

The Holland Campus Trunk or Treat proved to be a wild success, one that will be sure to be carried on in the future.

“This is what community service is all about, going out into a community in need and lending a hand or even a smile,” Gezon said. “Trick or Treating was one of my fondest activities as a child and I’m glad we got to bring the joy of it to the families that came.”

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