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The Brookhaven Courier

Award-winning student news since 1978

The Brookhaven Courier

Award-winning student news since 1978

The Brookhaven Courier

Costumed 5K To Aid Campus Food Pantry

By Scott Mitchell

Staff Writer

In an effort to expand Brookhaven College’s on-campus food pantry, various organizations have banded together.
The Spooky Trot, a 5K run and walk hosted on campus, is sponsored by the Brookhaven Police Department to benefit the food pantry.   The 5K, taking place 7:30 a.m. Oct. 31, will start near the archery field.  In order to register, attendees must fill out a registration form as well as donate five non-perishable food goods to the food pantry. Prizes will be awarded for the top three male and female running times, as well as various costume-related prizes.
The idea for a campus event to expand the food pantry came after some Brookhaven faculty members visited the North Lake College food pantry. It had a larger stock of food than Brookhaven’s, while also carrying clothes for those who need them, ESOL professor Sheri Van Court said.
Ethington, a Brookhaven police officer, was the first to begin organizing the Spooky Trot.  One day Ethington had to let a student into the food pantry, and never having been there herself, was disappointed with what she saw.
“If we had to feed this person for a week, we would be hard pressed,” Ethington said. She decided to dig deeper, and began working to find out how many people were being helped by the food pantry. She said, “We only help regularly about four people a week and maybe a total of 12 extra people a month.”
“The whole idea is to expand the food pantry and add clothing and make it self-sufficient,” Van Court said.  Van Court and Ethington both attended a dean’s meeting in order to obtain permission to host the Spooky Trot for the food pantry.
Ethington said: “I thought we needed to do something to raise awareness and get people involved. I originally thought about a 5K due to the exceptional athletes we have here at Brookhaven, and if I could get the coaches interested, then we would stand a good chance of raising some food.”
The Spooky Trot is open to the public and people of any age.

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