Youth who have food allergies can collect non-food treats while trick-or-treating at the annual Teal Pumpkin Project Trunk or Treat.
Families affected by food allergies are encouraged to stop by the Chestermere Rec Centre parking lot on Oct. 26 from 4 p.m., until 7 p.m., to see what each trunk was to offer.
“Traditionally if you were providing non-food treats for trick-or-treaters you leave a teal pumpkin on your step to indicate such. I’ve always loved the idea of a Trunk or Treat so last year I decided to combine the two to create a Teal Pumpkin Project Trunk or Treat,” said Organizer Kim Soderberg McRae.
Children with food allergies can trick-or-treat for a variety of items including glow sticks, crafts, stickers, bubbles, and Halloween-themed toys.
“Once you start thinking about non-food treats there’s really a huge selection of items that you can give out to replace food treats,” Soderberg McRae said.
“It seems as though food allergies are coming more prevalent, or perhaps we are just more award of them, so this is a great way to show support for children who are dealing with food allergies.” Soderberg McRae said.
“Our very first Trunk or Treat was a huge success,” Soderberg McRae added, “Most businesses planned for about 150 children, and I lost count at 300. Several businesses were running back and forth to the Dollarama to stock up on more non-food treats.”
Soderberg McRae is hopeful to get another 300 trunk-or-treaters, she said.
Last year eight local businesses and organizations participated in handing out non-food treats to youth, now, Soderberg McRae has doubled the amount to 16 local businesses and organizations that will hand out treats to the trunk-or-treaters.
“It’s a great way for local businesses and organizations to become more involved in events for families and children,” Soderberg McRae said.
Registrations for business participation in the Teal Pumpkin Project Trunk or Treat is currently full due to space limitations.
Soderberg McRae added, “My fingers are crossed that Mother Nature is done dumping snow on us for this month. We do have a contingency plan is case the weather gets really bad.”
To see a full list of participating businesses and organizations, or for more information regarding the Teal Pumpkin Project Trunk or Treat please visit the Macaroni Kid Website at https://chestermere.macaronikid.com.
