Oct 28, 2009 6:54 pm US/Eastern
Kids To Go 'Truck Or Treating' For City Harvest
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
For most kids, Halloween is all about candy and costumes, but students throughout New York City are getting a lesson in life that's changing how they see the holiday.
At The Town School on Manhattan's Upper East Side, 3rd graders are learning how to give instead of receive.
"As you go and get candy door to door in your apartment, you're going to take these boxes that look like this and have the City Harvest truck on it, and you're going to go 'truck or treating' for City Harvest," said Daniel Morgan of City Harvest.
On Halloween, thousands of students from all over the city will be asking for donations for City Harvest whose trucks rescue leftover food from grocery stores and restaurants for people in soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
"I think it's going to be good because you're not just doing something for yourself, you're doing something for other people who are hungry," said 8-year-old Emma.
"The last few years, it's all about candy, candy, candy but now it feels that I'm actually helping a lot of children and families," said 9-year-old Justin.
And 9-year-old Kyle said, "It's not just about us anymore, and I know that I'm helping some other people that are really hungry."
Students learned there are 350,000 children who go hungry in New York City, enough to fill Citi Field eight times. It's a lesson that hit home.
"I don't want to waste food anymore," said 9-year-old Aasha.
"I never knew that one quarter could save a pound of food for a person," 8-year-old Hamilton said.
"I think it's important so than other kids can be inspired," 8-year-old Thomas said.
And 8-year-old William added: "Usually the parents do all the work and it's not really fair to them that the kids don't really have to do that much."
Teachers said community service can never start too early. "We believe if they start young they'll continue helping others as they grow," said Karen Mulqueen of The Town School.
"I was surprised that so many kids are in trouble, I mean don't have food and it's so sad and I'm definitely going to be a part of this even after the school finishes with it," said 8-year-old Dasha.
On Monday, the students will bring their donations to school. Last year 23 schools in the City participated, and the kids raised more than $20,000 for City Harvest.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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