The Teal Pumpkin Project

GRUNDY CENTER –  Many children look forward to Halloween and Trick or Treating all year long; but those with food allergies are often left out of the fun, as most candy is off limits.
One initiative, The Teal Pumpkin Project, is aiming to change this by encouraging people to offer trick-or-treaters an alternative to candy.
Local mom Katie Schmitz has become an advocate for the project here in Grundy Center.
“My son Jacob is severely allergic to peanuts, so every year we go trick or treating he has a great time, but every year probably 80 percent of what we bring home has to leave again because it’s not safe for him,” Schmitz said.
And Jacob is not alone. According to FARE (the Food Allergy Research and Education association) roughly 1 in 13 children in the U.S. have a food allergy.
In an effort to be inclusive to all kids, the Teal Pumpkin Project encourages people to offer non-food items to trick-or-treaters in addition to the regular offering of candy.
These items could be anything from glow sticks to stickers to spider rings and more.
Houses participating in this initiative will usually mark their doorstep with a teal pumpkin, so parents can easily identify houses providing alternatives to candy.
“The idea of the Teal Pumpkin Project isn’t to stop candy, but to provide other options for those with special dietary needs,” Schmitz said. “And the neat thing is that it’s not just for kids with food allergies, but also for those with diabetes, celiac disease, or just moms who would prefer their kids just didn’t have a ton of sugar.”
See this week's Grundy Register for the full story.