By: Brianna Metsger, Staff writer

Halloween is usually about getting candy, but for some Lebanon Valley College students the holiday is about giving.

The sisters of Alpha Sigma Tau go trick or treating every year, but instead of asking for candy, the sisters ask for canned goods and nonperishable items to donate to The Ronald McDonald House in Hershey. Collecting and donating the items has been a tradition of the sisters of ΑΣΤ for more than 20 years.

This year the sisters beat their grand total of food items from last year by collecting 794 total items to donate. This included 624 canned goods, 84 boxes, 86 miscellaneous items and $85.

The sisters find the experience to be rewarding and encouraging.

“It’s awesome to be able to make a difference even in the smallest way,” Abbey Corbin, junior biology pre vet major and president of ΑΣΤ, said. “I participate because it’s just awesome to be a part of something like this. To see the look on the faces of the people at The Ronald McDonald House, to see how much they appreciate it, and knowing it’s going to help so many people just makes you feel proud of yourself.”

Corbin believes the tradition is incredible not only for those who utilize The Ronald McDonald House, but also for the sorority and the community.

“It’s not just the sisters of ΑΣΤ making a difference, it’s the people that come out and also help in the community,” Corbin said. “It’s amazing to see everyone from a small sorority on campus and the entire community of Annville and now Palmyra reaching out to make a difference.”

The experience has such lasting benefits on some sisters that they even return to help as alumnae. Jes Geyer, a 2016 graduate, plans to return every year that she can to aid the sorority in this tradition.

“I love interacting with the community,” Geyer said. “Tonight, I even met a woman whose son needed the care of The Ronald McDonald House because he was born premature, so her family personally used this resource.”

She also believes that it’s really encouraging to have the community viewing the sorority and its tradition in such a positive light.

“I’m really proud of the sorority in the way that they’ve taken it into their own hands,” Geyer said. “I’m glad we’ve grown so much because that allows us to do so much more and really impact the community.”

The sisters aim to collect even more nonperishable items next Halloween.

If you are interested in joining ΑΣΤ or have any questions, contact Emily Kissinger at agk003@lvc.edu