Started in 2014 by FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), The Teal Pumpkin Project serves to raise awareness of food allergies and to include children with food allergies in Halloween trick-or-treating. It was brought to my attention by one of the teachers at Avalon Elementary School a couple of days ago and I wanted to talk about it a little here. It’s such a simple idea and yet has the potential to make a huge impact at Halloween in the lives of kids with food allergies, which can often be dangerous or even deadly. You can join in easily by doing the following:
- Print out a sign provided by The Teal Pumpkin Project to indicate the you have allergy-free and/or non-food treats available
- Paint a pumpkin teal and place it in a visible spot where you are giving out treats
- Make sure that any food treats you are giving out are allergy-free. Here is a handy list provided by the Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board
- Opt for giving out non-food treats instead, like these below recommended by FARE. These would also be nice treats for children who may be diabetic as well as children with food allergies:
- Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces
- Pencils, pens, crayons or markers
- Bubbles
- Halloween erasers or pencil toppers
- Mini Slinkies
- Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers
- Bouncy balls
- Finger puppets or novelty toys
- Coins
- Spider rings
- Vampire fangs
- Mini notepads
- Playing cards
- Bookmarks
- Stickers
- Stencils
- Add your address to a crowd-sourced map located on FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project website indicating that you are participating
We are participating here in the library today, 10/31/15, until 5:00 PM with some allergy-free candy and non-candy treats!
“The TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT and the Teal Pumpkin Image are trademarks of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).” Visit their website at: http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project#.VjTrpysvvif.
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