Altamonte Springs teen Daniel doesn’t want candy when he trick-or-treats, he wants canned goods.
And then he wants to give them away.
For the past six years, Daniel has organized his own Cans Over Candy food drive to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.
Ahead of Halloween, he notifies his neighbors with a flyer that he will collect non-perishable food on the holiday and then goes house-to-house like a traditional trick-or-treater when the day comes.
“I really enjoy being able to help out and give back,” Daniel said during a recent volunteer shift at the food bank.
He was never a big fan of candy but still wanted to dress up and participate in the holiday to trick or treat with friends.
In addition to collecting cans, Daniel started raising money for Second Harvest through a Virtual Food Drive last year. To support Cans Over Candy, visit this year’s VFD.
He gets help from his mom, who posts the information on Nextdoor and drives their family car along the route so him can place donations in the trunk.
The first year Daniel did Cans Over Candy, he collected about 100 cans. Most recently, the drive brought in nearly 500 cans and $500 from the Virtual Food Drive. Every dollar donated to a VFD can provide four meals, so Daniel’s fundraiser provided 2,000 meals to local families!
His goal this year is to surpass what he did last year and bring in more people and organizations to the effort. This year, another family has signed on to collect cans in their neighborhood too, and he has been working to get community organizations and churches on board.
“I really want to onboard others so this can expand,” he said. “If I could get ten more young people, that would be amazing.”
Daniel has been actively volunteering throughout the community since he was five years old when he first helped with WESH 2’s annual Share Your Christmas event, which collects food and funds during the holiday season.
“There are many ways to help people have food on the table,” says Daniel. “No idea is too small or too big. Every action makes a difference.”
“There are many ways to help people have food on the table,” says Daniel. “No idea is too small or too big. Every action makes a difference.”
Fall food and fund drives are in full swing. Learn how to start a virtual food drive or download the food and fund drive manual.
