Teal Pumpkin Project Encourages Alternative Halloween Treats

Halloween is right around the corner and neighbors across the metro are stepping up to make the holiday more enjoyable for kids who often get left out. According to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), one in 13 children have a food allergy and mor

Saturday, October 19th 2019, 7:59 pm

By: Storme Jones

Teal Pumpkin Project Encourages Alternative Halloween Treats

Halloween is right around the corner and neighbors across the metro are stepping up to make the holiday more enjoyable for kids who often get left out.

According to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), one in 13 children have a food allergy and more than forty percent of them report experiencing a severe reaction, making Halloween tricky when it comes to treats.

" We have a child with down syndrome and another child on spectrum and so because of that, we want to be extra aware of what they eat," Mandy Bergerson said. "Also just as a mom over all, i don't want my kids to get way too much sugar."

FARE's Teal Pumpkin Project encourages people to give out things other than candy.

"I know a lot of the parents who have kids with food allergies kind of make their own Halloween traditions and might skip trick-or-treating, Ashley Allen said. "But I'm kind of a traditionalist and I feel like it's an experience kids deserve to have and it might be heart breaking for a kid to go trick-or-treating and get a bag full of candy he can't eat.

The website allows homes to register and be put on a map and encourages participants to mark their homes.

"Every year I would put out a teal pumpkin on our front porch or by our mailbox so people could be pre-alerted."

They also have printable signs that can be put in the window.

"I'm happy that it's starting to catch on and i'm happy more people are starting to think about other people," Allen said.

To find the map of homes or to register your allergy safe trick-or-treating house, click here.

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