Costumes, candy and decorated cars were all part of the spooky festivities at this year’s Trunk-or-Treat, held on Oct. 27 in Harper’s parking lot #2.
Organized by Campus Recreation in tandem with Harper College Police, the event ran from 5 to 7 p.m. Although the rain after 6 p.m. might have put a damper on things, Senior Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations for Campus Recreations Veronica Tantoco remarks that the event was a success by and large. At peak capacity, the parking lot was teeming with students and their families.
“I am beyond amazed. Last year was the first year we posted Trunk-or-Treat with myself from Campus Recreation in collaboration with Harper Police,” Tantoco said. “It’s a great opportunity to bring people to our campus, show them what we offer, and also just have a safe place for kids, students and their families to Trunk-or-Treat.”
The successful turnout also translated to over a dozen bins of donations collected for the Hawks Care Pantry, who invited attendees to bring in food and personal care essentials. All proceeds for Hawks Care are distributed to currently enrolled Harper students in need of help with food, personal care, housing and mental health services.
Not only did the event give people a place to trick-or-treat without fear of razor blades, it also gave a chance for several student organizations to set up booths and network. In attendance were Latinos Unidos, Harper Auto Club and the Harper Student Veteran Association. Tantoco emphasized the importance of the collaborative nature of the event.
“Especially within our Student Engagement world, we like to make sure we work with different partners on campus so they are aware of different resources and departments we have on campus,” Tantoco said.
The trunk decorating competition was also a major attraction for the event, with themes like Monsters Inc. and Halloween (1978) being some of the standouts.
Despite bumps in the road via unpredictable weather, the Trunk-or-Treat staff and volunteers worked hard to bring so many people together this autumn, setting a precedent for year two of a hopefully long-lasting tradition at Harper College.
