THIS HALLOWEEN PASSED with the sounds of giggling children, outrageous costumes, haunted houses, and loads of candy. However, something very important was also going on.

Uni High students, led by senior Rachel Hurley and junior Rachel Hyman, were collecting food for people in need.

In coalition with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, Hurley and Hyman put together their own Halloween hunger drive, in which participants collected cans of food while trick-or-treating. This food was then passed on to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank for distribution.

About 20 students participated in the drive. Although that was a great turnout, it was mainly upperclassmen.

“We would’ve loved to have more underclassmen,” Hyman said.

The drive covered the "state streets" area of Urbana, specifically McCullough Street and five streets that branch off it: Washington, Nevada, Oregon, California, and Illinois.

The students broke up into groups, each with a car to put their cans in.

Because of the extreme amount of organization involved in making this a successful volunteering opportunity, both Hurley and Hyman spent a lot of time mapping out streets, making fliers, and tending to other logistical tasks.

The work paid off. The students ended up collecting enough canned food to cram up the Counseling Resource Center.

“With one street we had a whole back seat [full of food],” senior Suran Yoo recalled.

The students had notified neighborhood residents ahead of time about the drive, and they were well-received when they made their rounds.

"I enjoyed it," Yoo said. "It was a great way to spend your Halloween instead of trick-or-treating."

The effort was loosely associated with the Uni club Students for a Better World, and the participants received help from faculty, including Spanish teacher Jenna Finch, sponsor of S4BW.

Next year Hyman plans to continue the drive although Hurley will have graduated. With the knowledge and experience she's gained this year, Hyman hopes to organize an even more successful event.

“On Halloween night it was really fun to go out with all your friends to each house, and you get to spend time with them but you’re also helping people out,” said Hyman.

The idea for a food drive on Halloween originated with Hurley and quickly became a mission with a goal.

“Sometimes it's really easy to get stuck inside our own little academic worlds," Hurley said. "It's important to step outside of ourselves and do what we can for others once in a while.”

Added Hyman: “What we hoped was that people would see how volunteering doesn’t have to be boring. It can be fun, and maybe they’ll want to organize something like this for themselves.”