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Trunk or treat for kids with food allergies

Halloween is just two weeks away. Children are getting excited about dressing up and going trick-or-treating, but not all get to go, due to food allergies.

“Our options were either not go trick-or-treating or go and then take all of the candy she couldn’t have, which was basically all of it,” said Brittani Oplinger.

Oplinger knew she had to do something when she discovered her daughter had medical problems and could not go trick-or-treating. Through friends, she found the Teal Pumpkin Project. If you notice a teal pumpkin on someone’s porch on Halloween, it means that house has nonfood items for children with food allergies. Oplinger decided to take it a step further and organized a trunk or treat event.

“We actually had several families come and tell us that they had never gone trick-or-treating because there just was no point,” she said. “One said they always took vacations instead and one, you know, they would stay home and watch scary movies, but there was no trick-or-treating that they could do.”

The trunk or treat has mostly nonfood items for children with food allergies.

“It’s things like pencils, notebooks, little tattoos, stickers, coloring books. We’ve got some squishies,” Oplinger said.

This year, the event will be held at the aquarium and will include treats, games and free admission to the aquarium. It will give children the opportunity to join in on the Halloween fun, no matter what they can or cannot eat.

“The dressing up is fun, but everybody knows kids like the trick-or-treating part,” Oplinger said. “It’s the most exciting part of the whole night. So, to be able to give that back to them and say, ‘OK, you are different. That’s OK. You can still participate and you can still have just as much fun as your friends did and you’re not going to eat all of your stuff so you actually get to keep it longer.'”

The trunk or treat will be held from 6-8 p.m. Halloween night. They are asking for donations and volunteers. If you are interested, you can find more info on their Facebook page here.

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