A very cool thing is happening this Halloween: Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) has launched their 2nd annual Teal Pumpkin Project to help families with special diets easily identify homes where it is safe for them to trick-or-treat. If yours is not an allergy-free home, this may not seem like a big a deal, but it goes a long way to making one of the most popular holidays for kids more inclusive. And we’re always down with that.
Related: 6 all-natural, allergen-free, or fair trade Halloween treats that aren’t scary at all.
Participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project is easy: All you have to do is paint a pumpkin teal and place it near your front door. Then, on Halloween night, be sure to have non-food treats for trick-or-treaters who want—or need—them.
This small act of inclusion will make a big difference to a lot of families. Trick-or-treating with a child who’s diet is restricted can be, well, tricky, and not just because you’re worried about what they might eat. That’s a serious problem—especially since a lot of candies are loaded with milk, nuts, and other allergens—but even more difficult is coping with your young child’s disappointment.
Not being able to enjoy your haul can be heartbreaking for little kids and for their parents, too. You can imagine how it takes a lot of joy out of the holiday. The Teal Pumpkin Project is dead set on bringing that joy back by indicating to parents where they can allow their kids to trick-or-treat with abandon.
Well, you know, as much abandon as any of us can indulge.
So grab a pumpkin and some paint, and get ready to support your allergy-free friends and neighbors. If you do, you can even add your house to FARE’s crowd sourced map of participating homes. Joining the effort can no only make the difference between a dangerous and safe experience, it can just plain make some kid’s holiday. We think that’s worth it.
Help spread the word! The more people who know about the Teal Pumpkin Project, the safer we can make trick-or-treating. Share this on Facebook and like the Food Allergy Research and Education page to pledge your support to an allergy-friendly Halloween.
Bottom photo: Domaine Layne on Instagram
