Trick-or-treating over the last few years has become a safer activity for kids with food allergies, thanks to the Teal Pumpkin Project.
Launched by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), the project aims to create safer Halloween experiences for children, particularly those who suffer from food allergies.
The idea originated in 2012 from a Tennessee mother who simply wanted to make Halloween easier on kids with food allergies. FARE began promoting the idea nationwide in 2014.
Participants in the Teal Pumpkin Project leave a teal-colored pumpkin outside their home to signal that they have non-food treats for trick-or-treaters. Those homes offer other goodies, like stickers, glow sticks, or small toys and trinkets, so that children with allergies won't feel left out.
If you want to participate in the project but find yourself too short on time to paint a pumpkin, you can also print out these free signs from FARE to indicate your home has allergy-safe goodies.
Homes participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project can also add themselves to an interactive map so that trick-or-treaters with food allergies can plan their route ahead of time.
Thousands of users have added their homes to the map, and you can, too.
Click here to view the map and to add your own home as a participating location.
