The Teal Pumpkin Project

Halloween is coming up soon.  I know I have posted in the past about Halloween and the challenges that food allergies present, so I won’t dwell on that too much.  We aren’t planning to go trick-or-treating ourselves, but I did want to share some information about a fun initiative we will be taking part in.

A good friend brought to my attention the Teal Pumpkin Project, a food allergy awareness campaign sponsored by FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education).  This campaign encourages people to raise awareness of food allergies at Halloween by providing non-food treats for trick-or-treaters.  Participants are also encouraged to paint a pumpkin teal - the color of food allergy awareness - to place in front of their houses along with a free printable sign from FARE to indicate they have non-food treats available. 

I think this is such a fantastic idea!  Like I said, we won’t be trick-or-treating ourselves, but I definitely want to be able to provide for anyone who might come to our house with a food allergy.  All of the candy we have is Bryan-safe, but I wouldn’t necessarily know if it would be safe for other food allergies.  (Although I did just check- safe for wheat & soy allergies, but it does contain corn…)  Trick-or-treating can be scary and frustrating for kids with food allergies (and for their parents).  If we can help with that and make the experience a little more fun with just a small gesture, I am all in.  Come on by- we’ll be the house with the glowsticks and bouncy balls.  :)