Eastern Regional High School hosted its first trunk or treat on Oct. 26, an event that brought together students, families and community members to donate to and support a local food pantry.
Organized by the school’s Interact Club, the trunk or treat attracted about 70 people who were each asked to bring one non-perishable food item. The club – which encompasses more than 200 students – is dedicated to fostering community connections and engaging in service activities that benefit Voorhees, Berlin and Gibbsboro.
While this year’s event will benefit the Voorhees Hope Food Pantry, the club also supports more than a dozen charities.
“The Interact Club focuses on community service activities that benefit the surrounding communities,” explained Jacquelyn Mancinelli, lead advisor and a teacher at Eastern. “ … One of our main objectives was to have our Eastern students, Interact Club members, and the surrounding communities come together to enjoy the fall season while also supporting the Hope Food Pantry through donations.
“We wanted to showcase what our club and student body are capable of and how we can positively benefit our community by providing a fun, family-friendly event.”
Student volunteers decorated about 30 of their vehicles for the trunk or treat, which the club expects to become an annual event.
“Each student is required to complete six hours of community service,” Mancinelli said, “so we got our event approved for seniors to obtain two hours of community service. They were required to sign up, decorate their car, and provide a donation for the Voorhees Animal Orphanage”
The community response to the event was overwhelmingly positive, Mancinelli noted.
“We had over 75 trick-or-treaters attend, which was a wonderful turnout,” she stated. “The students were excited to see the children, and the children had fun engaging with our students through face painting, hopscotch and a chalk-drawn obstacle course.
“I heard multiple parents say that it was really nice to see the students engaging directly with our community.”
Attendees also voted for their favorite decorated vehicles, with a Panera gift card for the winner. But the event came with its challenges.
“One major challenge was the weather, in that we had to have a second option in place if we were forced to move inside,” Mancinelli acknowledged. “Luckily, the weather was gorgeous. Other major challenges were being organized with having our cars arrive safely, be decorated in time and maintain a safe space for attendees.”
The club got help from Eastern athletic director Steve Picot, who coordinated traffic plans, and the school’s maintenance department, which ensured the parking lot site was blocked off. Mancinelli also praised the work of club members, including one who set up a face-painting area.
“When we were running low on candy or they had an idea for setting up a game, they told us their suggestions and began working,” Mancinelli observed. “We loved seeing the initiative.”
Club co-president Hayley Yuen shared her perspective on the trunk or treat.
“I think that it positively affected our community,” she offered, “because after COVID, the events slowed down a bit. We have a lot of people in Interact as well. I think it brought not only the community together but our club as well.”
The Interact Club already has ambitious plans for next year’s trunk or treat.
“For next year, I would like to advertise it better for the community so we can have a bigger volume of cars at the event,” said Yuen. “We are definitely talking about adding more activities for the kids so it can be more appealing.”
“This was my first event to plan,” Mancinelli said of advising the club, “and it took a lot of communication and delegation. The three co-advisors were instrumental in the event’s success, along with our officers. Although I personally count the event a success, I am eager to accept feedback from our officers and members to ensure we continue to improve.”
