Where it all started...

 My brothers and I trick-or-treating

I was dressed as a "Safety Witch" but people kept thinking I was a construction worker!

In the fall of 2009 our family started volunteering with Inland Harvest delivering leftover food from local restaurants to God's Kitchen where the homeless are fed daily. We met the manager and asked what other needs they had and she said they had a great need for toiletries and cleaning supplies for the people who came to be fed and who stayed in the attached shelter. That gave me the idea to pass out fliers in my neighborhood asking for donations that I could take to the shelter. Since it was almost Halloween and I would be going door to door trick or treating anyway, my mom gave me the idea to call it Trick-or-Toiletries and to collect the items while I was getting my candy!

My goal was to collect 100 items and we ended up getting over 350!! I was so surprised at the generosity of my neighbors and I was grateful for their enthusiasm and support. I was really, REALLY excited! I just couldn't wait to turn it all in and see the manager's face. I wasn't disappointed. She was ecstatic and that just made me feel really good inside that I did a service for my community. I decided I would make it a tradition and do it every Halloween.

Counting up the total...368!!!

In my next post I will tell you about the Second Annual Trick-or-Toiletries tradition and how it started to blossom...