Halloween is right around the corner and children everywhere are looking forward to celebrating in some way. Unfortunately, children with food allergies miss out on the full Halloween experience as most types of candy are off-limits to them. In light of this, Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) has created the Teal Pumpkin Project to make sure all children will come home from trick-or-treating with something to enjoy.

“The Teal Pumpkin Project, founded in 2014, is a movement whose goal is to create a safer and happier Halloween by raising food allergy awareness and encouraging the availability of non-food alternatives for children,” explained Josh Kilty, Fairway Independent Mortgage lender in Marshfield. “Last year, households from all 50 U.S. states and 14 countries around the globe participated in the movement.”

TO TAKE PART IN THE TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT, FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS:

• Place a teal painted pumpkin in front of your home to signify that you are participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project and have non-food items available for trick-or-treaters. You can paint pumpkin cutouts to store and use them year after year. Many stores now carry teal plastic pumpkins as well.
• Display a sign in your window to explain the meaning of the teal pumpkin. Click here to find printable signs from FARE.
• Provide trick-or-treaters with fun non-food items such as glow sticks, stickers, bubbles, and bouncy balls. To view a more extensive list of non-food options, click here.
• Along with the Teal Pumpkin Project, many people choose to give out treats that are considered “allergen-free,” meaning they do not contain the eight common food allergens responsible for 90% of reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. For a list of these treats, click here.

Watch the video below to learn more about celebrating Halloween this year with Teal Pumpkin Project. Learn more about Fairway Mortgage at www.FairwayJoshK.com