Some Toronto residents are painting their Halloween pumpkins teal as part of a campaign aimed at making trick-or-treating safer for children with food allergies.
Antia Chen said she discovered the Teal Pumpkin Project after finding out her young daughter has several food allergies.
“It’s extremely popular in the States. Not so much in Canada yet, but it’s taking on momentum,” Chen said. “We read more about it and thought it was a wonderful idea.”
The project is aimed at making sure kids with allergies are included in Halloween festivities, despite not being able to eat most kinds of candy.
On Halloween night, homes displaying teal pumpkins will be giving away non-food item treats for trick-or-treaters who suffer from food allergies. These can include pencils, stickers, glow sticks, or comic books.
Chen brought to a group for mothers with children with allergies and with the help of pumpkin donations from local farmers, they set up an afternoon of pumpkin painting and invited their entire neighbourhood to take part.
“It makes trick-or-treating so much easier for kids that have food allergies,” said Mindy Ernshaw, one of the parents participating in the project.
Even though only a handful of families are participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project this year, Chen says she hopes the campaign helps raise awareness about food allergies.
“It’s unfortunately something that’s becoming prevalent,” she said, “and I just want people to be aware that there are food allergies.”
With a report from CTV Toronto's Zuraidah Alman
