BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) – Halloween is Thursday, and while most kids go door to door hoping to end the night with a bag full of candy, kids with dietary restrictions may not have the same experience. That’s why the Teal Pumpkin Project started.
Rachael Falk learned about the Teal Pumpkin Project about 8 years ago while doing food allergy research after her son was diagnosed with an allergic condition.
“Through our own experience, we found out how alienating it can be for children, especially to have to adapt to different diets — especially this time of year,” she said.
The Teal Pumpkin Project started over a decade ago in Tennessee to promote inclusivity for children with food allergies. The idea is to put a teal-colored pumpkin in front of your house to let trick-or-treaters know you have non-food treats.
“One in 13 children in the United States have a food allergy so you will be sure to have Trick or Treaters that have some food allergies,” said Dr. Kelly Cleary.
Some families who participate have a bowl with traditional Halloween candy and a separate bowl for the non-food treats.
“Those little party favor packs that you can get at Dollar Tree or Walmart. And you can get a whole bunch of things like little bouncy balls and Yoyos and all that stuff and little bubbles, little bubble packs. Those are a lot of fun for kids,” Falk said.
Falk and Dr. Cleary both have children with allergies, and they’ve found ways in their households to make Halloween work, like doing candy swaps.
“He would get rid of all of his chocolate, and the other kids are so awesome and accommodating. They would take out the ones that he’s allowed to have and they would do trades. It made it a lot of fun,” Falk said.
And the kids appreciate the neighbors’ efforts to include them.
“I think for families that don’t have food allergies, it really teaches their kids just this level of empathy that not everybody is celebrating the same way,” Dr. Cleary said.