As a mom to an awesome little boy who has multiple food allergies, I wanted to share some information about FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project™ - a wonderful campaign that I support and I hope you will too!
Nothing could keep him from trick or treating! He is just like every other child in his class except he is allergic to ALL dairy products, cashews, walnuts and chocolate. He doesn't even have to ingest it to have a reaction, if the food touches his skin, he may have a reaction. That rules out about 99% of the good candy, right? How does our family manage Halloween? VERY CAREFULLY. And this is where the teal pumpkin comes in!
The Teal Pumpkin Project™ is now in its third year. It raises awareness of food allergies and promotes a safer, happier Halloween by encouraging households to make non-food treats available so that trick-or-treaters who need to avoid candy, due to food allergies or other reasons, can fully participate. Households can show they are participating by placing a teal pumpkin in front of their home.
Last year our house was one from 50 states and 14 countries that participated in the Teal Pumpkin Project™. The non-food treats that we had available (stickers, pencils, spider rings, etc) were such a popular option - for ALL kids. When offered a choice, 3 out of 5 kids selected something from the "non-food" bucket.
This year, you can be part of an even bigger movement! Visit tealpumpkinproject.org to join 100,000 households pledging to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project™. The kids will love it and you will be able to give the moms (and dads!) of the kids with food allergies a sigh of relief knowing that our kids will be safe trick-or-treating at your house.
The TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT and the Teal Pumpkin Image are trademarks of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).
