This Halloween, when you’re out trick-or-treating with your kids, you’ll likely see plenty of pumpkins, from traditional carved jack-o’-lanterns, to colorful painted pumpkins. Most of these pumpkins have no special significance, beyond tradition. But if you see a pumpkin that’s been painted teal, take note, because it’s sending an important message.
The Teal Pumpkin Project is a campaign from FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) aimed at making Halloween safe for kids with food allergies. A house with a teal pumpkin means that there are non-food treats available for trick-or-treaters.
For kids with severe food allergies, it’s not spooky costumes and haunted houses that make Halloween scary. Traditional treats like candy and chocolate often include ingredients that may trigger a life-threatening allergic reaction in some people.
In an effort to make Halloween safe and fun for everyone, the Teal Pumpkin Project encourages families to purchase small toys and other non-food items and place a teal-painted pumpkin outside to let trick-or-treaters know. This way, kids still get to participate in the fun of Halloween with family and friends, without fear of candy that may cause a reaction.
Want to get involved in The Teal Pumpkin Project?
Check party supply or dollar stores for affordable toys and other small, non-food items. Some ideas suggested by FARE include:
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Then be sure to paint a pumpkin teal—the official color of food allergy awareness—and place it outside. You can also download a free printable sign from FARE to let neighbors and trick-or-treaters know what your teal pumpkin means. And if you’d still like to give out candy, you certainly can! Just remember to place your food and non-food treats in separate bowls. You can ask trick-or-treaters if they have food allergies, or give kids a choice of a toy treat or candy.
A Year-Round Problem
We fully support the goals of The Teal Pumpkin Project because we’ve seen firsthand the devastating effect that severe allergies can have. Kids with life-threatening allergies must worry every single day about avoiding exposure to allergens. For these families, it’s not just Halloween that kids are in danger. Many kids have found that even school is an unsafe place for them.
Like 12-year-old Angelica, who is enrolled in online school through K12 due to her allergies. She explained, “peanuts send me into a life-threatening state called anaphylactic shock. Schools are full of peanut butter snacks. Teachers hand out peanut butter cups at class functions. There was no safe haven for me anywhere in a traditional school.”
But it isn’t just peanuts that cause problems. One mom, Jennifer, shared that her 1st grader, Anthony, “cannot touch or breath in the items he is allergic to. Anthony is severely allergic to eggs, milk, peanut, pork, beef and lamb. If someone is cooking one of these things (for example in a school cafeteria), it could kill him.” Now that Anthony is enrolled in an online private school program, he’s thriving academically, and most importantly, he’s safe.
A choice of different education options, including online schools and homeschooling gave these and other families the power to keep their kids safe every day. If you’re interested in reading more stories from real families dealing with severe food allergies, we invite you to visit What’s Your Story.
Does your child have a food allergy? Will you be participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project? Leave us a comment and tell us your thoughts on this campaign.
Image Credit – Eunice / modified from original CC BY-SA 2.0
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