Have you heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project?  It is an initiative promoted by FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) to encourage communities to start a new tradition that will help make Halloween less scary for children with food allergies.

This campaign encourages people to raise awareness of food allergies by providing non-food treats for trick-or-treaters and painting a pumpkin teal – the color of food allergy awareness – to place in front of their house along with a free printable sign from FARE to indicate they have non-food treats available.

Halloween can be a tricky time – quite literally – for families managing food allergies because many traditional Halloween treats aren’t safe for children with life-threatening food allergies.  The Teal Pumpkin Project is designed to promote safety, inclusion and respect of individuals managing food allergies – and to keep Halloween a fun, positive experience for all.  The idea for the Teal Pumpkin Project originated with the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee (FACET), and FARE is bringing it to the attention of families across the country for the first time this year.

This is my teal pumpkin on my porch in honor of my food allergy girls and to let others know I have a non-food treat for them, too!

Here are a few ideas for non-food treats.

I went to the Dollar Spot in Target and selected these items.  Your local craft store or  Oriental Trading would be another great place to get fun things.

This is something I truly hope will catch on in communities across the country.  I would love to not have to trade out all the candy for “safe” candy for my girls each year!

So when you are shopping for candy this weekend, grab some trinkets and a some teal paint to coat one of your Jack -O-Lanterns in honor of those with food allergies.  Let me know if you’ll participate and what you think of this idea!

Information and graphics courtesy of FARE – www.foodallergy.com