The leaves have changed to gorgeous colours and the air is getting colder, which can only mean one thing: Halloween season is upon us! All Hallows’ Eve is a time of fun and fright, but this Halloween doesn’t have to be a terrifying time for those in need in your community. Read on to discover three ways you can help the more vulnerable folks in your neighbourhood make life a lot less scary this month.
Decorate & Request Donations of Food
Many homeowners decide to make their properties nice and spooky this time of year with awesome Halloween decorations. People have even created amazing light shows that sync to music! If you’re one of those people who loves decorating for the spookiest time of the year, consider sharing your home’s decorations on your town’s local Facebook group and tell your neighbours that you’ll be collecting donations leading up to October 31st on behalf of your local food bank for those less fortunate. It’s a fun way to give back to both your community and neighbours at the same time.
Trick-Or-Treat For More Than Just Candy
Another great idea is to tag along with your kids and at each door ask your neighbours if they have any canned food items you can collect for those in need. Most people have canned food on-hand and won’t mind sparing some when asked kindly. It’s a great way to teach your kids that even during fun times we can take a moment to remember those who worry daily about putting food on the table. Don’t forget to bring a wagon to haul all the canned food donations along with you and your kids.
You can also consider requesting donations of loose change for a local charity in your community. Remember UNICEF boxes at Halloween from when you were a child? Almost all parents these days have raised money for UNICEF as kids and will be more than willing to donate their change on Halloween.
Donate Your Candy
When families can’t afford regular meals, it’s possible that they also can’t afford costumes for their kids to go out trick-or-treating. Poverty makes it difficult for kids to participate in fun traditions like Halloween.
If your children always end up with way too much candy, call your local food bank and ask if they take candy donations. Other charity organizations you can call about donating candy include Meals on Wheels, your local women’s shelter and even your local dentist which may have a candy buy-back program where the proceeds can be gifted to a local charity.
If we all work together, we can make the Halloween season a happy and fun time for everyone in our community.
Because giving is a boo-tiful thing.
