‘Scare Away Hunger’ exceeds 1,500 Donations

A family-run haunted house in Brandon is proving that Halloween spirit can make a real difference in the community.

The Scare Away Hunger attraction at Cedar Bay has already surpassed its 1,500-item food donation goal for Samaritan House Ministries. This year’s donation has surpassed last year’s 1,000 already, haunted house denizen Carla Mitchell told the Sun on Sunday evening.

“We have surpassed our goal of 1,500 items, and we’ll keep collecting,” she said. “We’ve had lots of canned goods, soups, cereal, crackers, diapers, wipes and personal hygiene items — all things that are in big demand at the food bank.”

Now in its third year, Scare Away Hunger is the brainchild of Mitchell, her husband Mike, and their daughters Emma, Claire, and Hannah. Every September, the family transforms their quiet Cedar Bay home into a labyrinth of spine-chilling scenes, complete with fog machines, eerie lighting and a skeletal grim reaper guarding the entrance.

“For 10 months of the year, we’re just a normal family,” Mitchell laughed. “But come fall, our front lawn, driveway and garage turn into full-blown horror chambers.”

The haunted house kicked off last weekend with “mid-level” scare hours before opening to full scares this past weekend. Families with younger children were invited to visit during the popular “no-scare” hours Sunday afternoon, when the lights stay on and the monsters take a break.

Attendance has been strong throughout the event, with hundreds of guests stopping by to donate and take in the thrills. “Last time we had about 300 people come through, and today (Sunday afternoon) we had around 250 kids,” said Mitchell. “We’re hoping for the same tonight (Sunday night).”

The Halloween-themed food drive began three years ago as a small family project and has since grown into a community staple. What started as a creative way to celebrate the season has evolved into a mission to support local families in need.

“This has really become a neighbourhood effort,” Mitchell said. “We have people dropping off food even if they don’t go through the haunted house. Some come just to donate because they believe in what Samaritan House does.”

Samaritan House Ministries, which serves hundreds of families each month through its food bank and outreach programs, relies heavily on community donations — especially heading into the colder months. The items collected through Scare Away Hunger will help stock its shelves well into the winter.

As Halloween night approaches, the Mitchells are preparing for one last rush of visitors and donations. The haunted house will reopen for full-scare trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 from 6 to 9 p.m., with guests encouraged to bring non-perishable food items as admission.

“We love Halloween — the creativity, the costumes, the fun — but what we love most is seeing people come together for a cause,” said Mitchell. “It’s a great feeling knowing that while we’re scaring people for fun, we’re helping others at the same time.”

» aodutola@brandonsun.com with files from Michele McDougall

» X: @AbiolaOdutola