Scioto County Halloween Trick-or-Treat is tonight, and don’t be alarmed if somewhere among those little goblins asking for candy corn at your front door, you find a college student asking for a can of sweet corn.

“We have challenged our students to go trick-or-treating during regular hours, I guess 5:30 to 7 (p.m.), to trick-or-treat for cans and non-perishable items to be donated to the local food pantries,” said Nikki Karabinis, coordinator at the Shawnee State University Center for Community Service.

Karabinis manages the M3C AmeriCorps Scholarship program, and students have to complete 300 hours of community service to be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship. Participation in this trick-or-treat event will count toward a student’s hours.

“E-mails have also gone out to students who have to do community service for clubs, and a lot of people will probably take advantage of this opportunity because it’s fun,” she said.

Shawnee students will collect food items again for National Homeless and Hunger Awareness Week, which is Nov. 14-20.

“If you would like to, as a student if you’re part of a club or organization or just any student, can sign up to be part of a competition to collect as many cans as possible. Then on Nov. 18, I think, you can go out on the greens around campus and build a cool structure. Whichever group builds the coolest structure gets $200 for their club account,” Karabinis said.

All of the items collected during trick-or-treat and the homeless awareness activity in November will be combined and donated to local food pantries.

The students will also collect shoe boxes filled with pencils, hard candy, toothbrushes or small toys for Operation Christmas Child.

RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.