Have you ever heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project? For fans of Halloween and Trick or Treating who can’t have candy, it still makes the holiday fun.
While we often think of fun size candies and sweet treats for Halloween, for some children this holiday is actually a major challenge. For many kids who have food allergies, Trick or Treating can actually be a disappointment because they can’t actually enjoy the goodies being handed out. And no child wants to feel left out when it comes to the holidays and getting to enjoy the spooky magic of Halloween.
Luckily, there is an initiative to make Trick or Treating more inclusive for everyone. That is where the Teal Pumpkin Project comes into the picture.
But what exactly does a teal pumpkin have to do with Halloween and Trick or Treating?
What is the Teal Pumpkin Project?
The Teal Pumpkin Project is an effort to make sure that all children can enjoy Trick or Treating without having to worry about food allergies stopping them from getting in on the fun of Halloween. As the Food Allergy and Yum Earth Instagram account explain, it is a chance to promote “safety and inclusion for individuals with food allergies to keep Halloween fun for everyone.” By putting a Teal Pumpkin on your porch or doorstep, you are letting families know that you will be offering non-food items for Trick or Treaters.
In fact, both Instagram accounts shared a special checklist to help make it easy to be a part of the project. And while we may be a foodie site, we absolutely stand with the Teal Pumpkin Project and their mission to make everyone feel included in Halloween.
At my own home, I have a teal pumpkin that will be on my porch on Halloween to let families with children who have food allergies know that there will be other options besides candy being offered for Trick or Treaters. Among the goodies I will have on hand (and that we recommend for people interested in taking part in the Teal Pumpkin Project for themselves) are:
- Bubbles
- Halloween Stickers
- Halloween Pens
- Halloween Pencils
- Spooky Stampers
- Scented Molding Sand Packets
- Mini Play Packs (Themed kits with stickers, crayons, and coloring sheets)
- Spooky Glasses
- Mini Halloween Coloring Books
And while I also plan to have fun size candies and even full size candy bars for Trick or Treaters to enjoy, these non-food goodies will be in their own Halloween bucket to make sure that there is no potential cross contamination.
Everyone deserves to have a good time on Halloween and that includes children with food allergies.
So have you heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project? Will you be taking part in this initiative and offering non-food items to Trick or Treaters this Halloween? If you are, what will you be offering? We want to know!