Before any trick-or-treating on Halloween, dozens of kids went door to door in mid-October to ask for food donations for Powell Valley Loaves and Fishes. The community responded in a big way, donating 7,203 pounds of food.

“We’re still gathering food,” said Cindy Balderas, treasurer of the local nonprofit, last week.

Folks also dropped off donations at Mr. D’s Food Center, Blair’s Market and the Powell Post Office in the days following the Oct. 19 food drive.

Donations are down a bit from last year, when 7,413 pounds of food were collected in the drive.

“We’re slowly reaching that point,” Balderas said last week.

A couple of volunteer groups that had signed up to help with last month’s drive didn’t show up, so there were a few neighborhoods that weren’t canvassed, she said. If residents still have food donations, they can take them to either grocery store, Balderas said.

In addition to collecting food in town, Loaves and Fishes had drop-off points in rural areas this year.

“This is our first year, so it’s a start, and it was a tremendous start,” Balderas said. “We do want the country people to be involved and feel like they’re part of what goes on in town.”

Loaves and Fishes doesn’t have the manpower to canvass rural areas. The rural drop-off points were available for several hours on the day of the drive, and Balderas said Loaves and Fishes leaders will talk more about using the rural drop-off points in the future.

“Everything is so appreciated,” Balderas said. “It’s just trying to get the community — both town and rural parts of our community — to come together for a good cause.”

After some negative comments were made on social media about youth going door to door the night of the drive, Balderas said she hoped residents would realize the kids were simply serving the community.

“We want people in our town to understand that when these kids come to the door, they’re innocent — they’re innocent kids doing a good deed,” Balderas said. “We are just trying to instill community spirit and lending a hand to our neighbors.”

Many of the volunteers are in high school or college. Younger kids are accompanied by an adult, such as a parent or youth group leader, Balderas said.

“This is one of our only ways to gather food to help families who are in need — that’s our goal,” she said.