Throughout the month of October, elementary and middle school-age kids in FishHawk West collected over 750 items for the local food pantry, Seeds of Hope. Instead of the usual candy, spider rings, ghost stickers and light-up pumpkin necklaces, the kids on Natures Reserve Dr. played a game called Booed with Food.
In addition to some Halloween-themed gifts, residents left food pantry items like cereal, peanut butter, canned vegetables and pasta on front porches.
“I liked setting up the decorations at my friend’s house and then running away. We left a lot of pasta boxes stacked in a big tower,” said Hannah Bess, age 7.
‘Booing’ your neighbors with Halloween treats and spiderwebs has become a fun holiday trend in FishHawk. Kids of all ages love creeping up on their neighbors’ porches and surprising their friends.
This version of the game serves a great purpose while still giving some fun Halloween treats to get everyone in the holiday spirit. The kids felt like the most important part, especially in a year like this, was to help collect food for Seeds of Hope.
“I’m glad we were able to collect so much food in a fun way. It is so nice to help others,” said Cate Dobbins, age 12.
Madison Oatley, age 7, summed it up nicely, “My favorite part was getting all the food and giving it to people who don’t have food.”
Seeds of Hope is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It provides weekly food distribution every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at 710 E. Bloomingdale Ave. in Brandon.
The organization has seen a huge rise in popularity since the start of the pandemic and donations are needed more than ever. The organization also provides backpacks of food for children to take home from school on the weekends and offers a mobile pantry for those in need.
For more information or to learn about setting up a neighborhood or local food drive, visit www.sohopefl.org.
