Halloween approaches! I love Halloween because it’s a chance to be creative with costumes and decorations, and a chance to get to know your neighbors better as people open their doors to trick-or-treators.
But for some, Halloween is a scary holiday for real. Millions of people (an estimated 15 million in the United States) have food allergies, and some of them are deadly. For children trick-or-treating with food allergies, there are a lot of treats they need to refuse or their parents need to confiscate, because eating that candy could kill them.
I can imagine it feels quite disappointing and challenging to get home with your bucket of Halloween candy only to discover how few pieces are safe for you to have.
Enter the Teal Pumpkin Project: this campaign from FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) asks parents who will have non-food Halloween treats available to advertise the availability of allergy friendly treats by placing a teal pumpkin on their steps. The teal pumpkin will advertise to kids and parents of kids with allergies that they can ask for a non-food item, like a sticker, crayons or small toy instead of candy.
Since I try to avoid little plastic toys that aren’t environmentally friendly and typically end up in the trash, we’ll be giving out stickers (non-Halloween, so they’ll be fun after the holiday is over) as an option as well as vegan chocolates. Another great (biodegradable) option I’m looking into is getting origami sheets of paper that have the instructions for how to make something printed right on the sheet. Then each child could take an origami square and a sticker, and have a fun activity to do later.
Will enjoyed painting a pumpkin teal with me to put out on our porch. We used non-toxic craft paint we already had in the house, and mixed in a little white paint to get it as close to teal as possible. It’s a little on the blue side, but I think people who know about the Teal Pumpkin Project will recognize it for what it is!
It was a great chance to talk to Will about how some foods cause allergic reactions for some people, and it’s important to help keep friends safe by not eating dangerous foods when we’re together. There are so many foods to choose from that are safe that it’s easy and fun to do.
He understands a little about eating different foods because we don’t eat anything that comes from animals. I want to help him understand that we eat vegan foods because we made a choice, and while it’s a wonderful choice that our family feels good about, people with allergies don’t have a choice. It’s not safe for them to eat some foods. We’re really lucky, and if he chooses to eat differently when he’s older, that will be his decision and one he gets to make.
In the meantime, he knows that some of his friends and family can’t eat nuts or other foods because it’s not safe for them, and it’s our job to help keep food safe for them when we’re together.
I hope you’ll consider participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project and getting some non-food treats to have available. If you don’t want to paint a pumpkin, you can download this flyer from FARE’s website and print it to hang on your door so people will know you have safe treats available. Easy as picking up some stickers!
Wonderful lesson for children and adults.