Brotherly trio trick-or-treats for food bank

[attach]888[/attach]Tootsie rolls and lollipops?

No thanks, we want canned goods.

Three North Toronto siblings are forsaking the usual candy and chocolate grab during their Halloween trick-or-treating in order to help feed those in need.

Brothers Chris, 19, Alex, 16, and 14-year-old Lucas Casale, along with a group of friends, will be out collecting non-perishable food items door-to-door the evening of Oct. 31. Their haul will be donated to the North York Harvest Food Bank.

The brothers started the initiative in 2007 and since then have collected over 900 kilograms of food on Halloween night.

Mom Julie said her sons get a great response and they feel like they’re making a difference.

“The feedback from the whole community has been really nice,” she said. “(The boys) can’t even believe people were thanking them.”

Three days before Halloween, the Casales and their friends distribute a brochure to neighbours in the Mount Pleasant Road and
Lawrence Avenue area, giving them information and asking them to have a food bank item waiting for when they return on Halloween night.

The boys also get help from local Loblaws and No Frills stores, which loan them shopping carts, and the RBC Foundation, who give a dollar-per-pound donation.

Last year, the crew stopped at about 1,000 homes, with mom and dad acting as chauffeurs and chaperones.