UIS Students Collect 6,220 Pounds of Food

University of Illinois Springfield students gathered canned goods door to door in Springfield neighborhoods on Halloween to support local food pantries.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Philanthropy

Woven tote bag of canned goods and small pumpkins on a wooden porch step, with houses blurred in warm autumn light. — Eight teams of 119 University of Illinois Springfield students collected 6,220 pounds of canned goods door to door on Halloween for two local food pantries. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Would you donate canned goods to a local food drive this year?

Eight teams of 119 University of Illinois Springfield students collected 6,220 pounds of canned goods and nonperishable food during the annual Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods event on Halloween. The donations will benefit the UIS Cares Food Pantry and the Central Illinois Foodbank.

Why it matters

The collection supports food security for students on campus and for households served by a regional foodbank that distributes to partner agencies across 21 counties in central and southern Illinois. It also reflects ongoing demand for food assistance within the Springfield community.

Students visited approximately 2,165 homes in Springfield to distribute door hangers before the event, and the collection yielded 6,220 pounds of food. The source does not provide a comparison with previous years' totals.

The players

University of Illinois Springfield

A public university campus in Springfield, Illinois, whose students organized the food collection and whose UIS Cares Food Pantry will receive donations.

Central Illinois Foodbank

A regional foodbank that distributes food to partner agencies across 21 counties in central and southern Illinois and will receive part of the collected food.

The details

Teams returned to their assigned neighborhoods on Halloween to collect donations, which were brought back to campus, weighed, and sorted. A separate Trunk-or-Treat for Canned Goods event at the UIS Cox Children's Center on October 30 collected an additional 393 pounds of food.

2016: UIS Cares Food Pantry established to support students experiencing food insecurity.
2025-26 academic year: Pantry served 96 students during 479 visits.
October 30: Cox Children's Center held its Trunk-or-Treat for Canned Goods event.
October 31 (Halloween): Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods collection took place.

Philanthropy Context

The donations flow into the Central Illinois Foodbank's network serving 21 counties across central and southern Illinois, extending a campus-based collection into the regional distribution system. The UIS Cares Food Pantry, founded in 2016, adds an on-campus layer addressing student food insecurity.

Residents who donate canned goods or nonperishable food through local campus drives help stock both the UIS Cares Food Pantry and regional foodbank partner agencies. Students and community members seeking food assistance can use these pantries and partner agencies as sources of support.

The takeaway

Community food drives rely on volunteers willing to knock on doors and carry donations, and contributing even a few canned goods adds to regional supply. Check with a local pantry before donating to confirm which items it needs most.