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Trick-or-Beet

ORU canned-good drive turns holiday on its ear

By Jennifer Joy Carter, Class of 2005

You won't see ORU students taking part in traditional Halloween trick-or-treating. Since 1994, ORU's community outreach office has offered them another way to satisfy the "inner child" and minister to Tulsa neighborhoods at the same time--with a nontraditional, canned-goods-or-treat, door-to-door drive that benefits several local food banks and campus outreaches.

This year, all participants will meet in Christ's Chapel, the campus sanctuary, at 6 p.m. on Oct. 31, and then be sent out into the neighborhoods to get the goods.

Last fall, more than 650 ORU students collected more than 8,500 canned goods and reached out by praying with 350 Tulsa residents, according to Jason Frederick (01), ORU's community outreach director.

Many characteristics of this fall outreach have combined to ensure its success.

"First of all, this fall outreach is a very practical outreach that has a large amount of impact on the community in simply one night," said Frederick. "With a few hours of fun service, we are able to minister in several weekly outreaches. We use the canned goods we collect for the remainder of the school year."

Half of the canned goods collected will be donated to local food banks such as those at John 3:16 Mission and the Tulsa Dream Center. According to Crystal Hardin, a sophomore who is head outreach chairman for Frances Cardone Hall, the other half of the canned goods will be used for homeless and need-based ORU community outreaches, such as Conspiracy of Kindness and the Tulsa Metro Day Center.

The community outreach staff has drawn up a plan that divides the city of Tulsa into three-block segments; each segment will be assigned to one men's and one women's dorm wing or floor. These small guy/girl groups will disperse across local areas, asking for donations of canned goods and making themselves available to pray if asked.

According to ORU sophomore Shannon Jones, a participant in last year's fall outreach, this event offers the opportunity to minister effectively because Tulsans are already expecting visitors on Oct. 31-and this gives them a chance to contribute to less fortunate members of their community.
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