University of Illinois Springfield students collected 6,220 pounds of food during the annual Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods event on Halloween. Eight teams consisting of 119 students went door to door in Springfield neighborhoods collecting canned goods and other nonperishable food items.
The food will benefit the UIS Cares Food Pantry and Central Illinois Foodbank, which distributes food to partner agencies across 21 counties in central and southern Illinois.
Before the event, students visited approximately 2,165 homes to distribute door hangers explaining the project. On Halloween, teams returned to their assigned neighborhoods to collect donations. The collected items were brought back to campus, weighed and sorted.
The UIS Cares Food Pantry was established in 2016 to support students experiencing food insecurity on campus. During the 2025-26 academic year, the pantry served 96 students during 479 visits.
The UIS Cox Children’s Center also held its annual Trunk-or-Treat for Canned Goods event Oct. 30, collecting an additional 393 pounds of food for the UIS Cares Food Pantry and Central Illinois Foodbank.
For more information, contact the UIS Volunteer Center at 217-206-7716 or volunteer@uis.edu.
