How does participating in the TOTS-EAT program help my Thespian troupe and school?

Who can participate in the Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat initiative?

What about schools that don’t have a troupe?

How many schools does a chapter need to get started?

Can schools work together to collect food for the same food bank?

How do we get started?

How can my troupe promote TOTS-EAT?

Can I collect food in other ways instead of going door to door?

Can our troupe create its own promotional materials?

How does participating in the TOTS-EAT program help my Thespian troupe and school?

• It allows Thespian troupes to work on a project that gives back to their community.
• It helps eliminate some stereotypes of high school students by demonstrating the positive difference they can make.
• It raises the profile of the theatre program within the school. This is especially true when the success of the program is shared in the news media, playbills, newsletters, websites, announcements, etc.
• It creates an opportunity for Thespian troupes to raise public awareness of, and interest in, the theatre program at their school, and it enriches school/community relationships.
• It strengthens and builds the relationship between the school and the families of its theatre students.
• It helps build the potential audience of a Thespian troupe by promoting upcoming shows.
• It provides an opportunity for students to earn points toward Thespian induction or honor Thespian status (ten hours of work equals one point).

Who can participate in the Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat initiative?
All active Thespian troupes are eligible to participate in the campaign. Active status means the school’s ITS troupe dues have been paid for the current school year. Participation in this great program is a privilege of membership and, we hope, an honor for the students. Students do NOT have to be inducted into the International Thespian Society to participate. In fact, we encourage the whole school to join in. You’ll find some ideas about how to involve the whole school on the collection activity ideas section of this website.

What about schools that don’t have a troupe?
A school that does not yet have a Thespian troupe may work in partnership with a local active Thespian troupe to help contribute to that school’s collection totals. Participating schools will be using TOTS-EAT materials and reporting their collection totals toward our annual total ITS collection goal.

“Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat” and the related materials are service-marked and may only be used by active ITS troupes. Only the size of the logo may be changed. No color or design changes are permitted.

Non-member schools that are supporting a Thespian troupe’s collection efforts may also use the TOTS-EAT materials for the purpose of participating in this year’s initiative. To find out how to charter a new Thespian troupe at your school, visit www.edta.org/membership/join/default.aspx.

How many schools does a chapter need to get started?
One. There is no minimum number of schools required for this program to work. Even one school is enough to make a difference in the lives of many people. Once other troupes see how easy it is to make a real difference in their local community, they’ll want to join in the effort next year. Your chapter automatically gets credit for your troupe’s collection when you register and then submit a donation verification form by the appropriate deadlines.

Can schools work together to collect food for the same food bank?
Sure. Troupes can band together as a team. There are even ITS community service awards available for troupe teams. Just use one team registration form for your group. Include all the team schools on that form, and we’ll register your group.

How do we get started?
The very first thing a troupe or troupe team needs to do is register as a participant in the TOTS-EAT program. That’s easy to do: download and print the troupe registration form, complete it, and mail or fax it to the EdTA home office. It takes only a couple of minutes. Registering is the first step in qualifying your troupe and your chapter for ITS community service awards and prizes. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

To help you create and run a successful program, we’ve created a TOTS-EAT planning timeline to help you organize and conduct your collection activities. It will make implementing the program at your school a snap.

How can my troupe promote TOTS-EAT?
The TOTS-EAT how-to section has tons of great ideas. Everything from finding a charity, to creative collection ideas, to pre-collection announcements for the neighborhood, to sample public relations news releases, to TOTS-EAT T-shirts you can purchase, to thank-you notes are available for your use.

Can I collect food in other ways instead of going door-to-door?
Absolutely! In fact, we challenge you to come up with as many ideas as you can. Anything you can do that helps feed more hungry people will be worthwhile. We’ve developed a list of ideas that have already been used successfully by troupes in the past; look them over (the link is below). We encourage you to collect door-to-door because that’s a great way to promote your fall show and make a great impression in the community. Ultimately you have the freedom to do what you feel is appropriate and will be successful in your area. Read for the creative promotion and collection activity ideas section for dozens of successful ideas.

Can our troupe create its own promotional materials?
Yes—if you request the electronic version of the TOTS-EAT logo, you can print it on collection bags, for example. Find out more about requesting and using the logo in the TOTS-EAT logo section.

“Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat” and the related materials are service-marked and may only be used by active troupes. Only the size of the logo may be changed. No color or design changes are permitted.