Halloween is known for having a huge selection of seasonal pleasures-accommodation ghostly gatherings curl up on the couch and watch scary movies or read thematic books. Then there is decorating your Houseyour car and the familyand of course, take the children trick or treat. But there is a more recent tradition that you may not really be aware of, and which might leave you perplexed. Have you ever noticed all that bright blue-green squash decor in October and wondered about the meaning of the teal pumpkin? After all, the usual Halloween look requires orange and black ornamentation, a combination of colors whose origins date back a few thousand years. It’s no wonder you have questions about pairing with teal – questions we’re here to answer!
What is the history of the turquoise pumpkin?
It turns out the teal pumpkin trend isn’t just a visually appealing addition to classic Halloween decorations. It’s actually the heart of an important, potentially life-saving nonprofit program, the Teal Pumpkin Project. Founded as a festive and fun way to safely encourage the inclusion of all children during the holidays, the initiative ingeniously combines the color used for decades to raise awareness of diet-related medical issues with the most emblematic of the spooky season. Participants place a teal pumpkin on their front porch, indicating that they have non-food treats and/or allergen-free snacks available for those with food allergies. The project also provides a welcome alternative to sweets for children who suffer from conditions ranging from diabetes to celiac disease and who may therefore need to avoid sweets.
The roots of the Teal Pumpkin Project date back to 2012, and a Tennessee woman who was worried about her son’s allergies this Halloween. (Don’t moms have the best ideas?) Sponsored by the Food Allergy Research and Education Organization (FARE)the popularity of the program has spread around the world and in the United States, with dozens of thousands households are joining across the country. There is no doubt that the Teal Pumpkin Project has been a blessing for children with food allergies, which may number as many as 1 in 13 across the country. According to Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention, about 8% of American children, or 5.6 million, have immune responses to certain foods. Reactions vary in severity, but it is estimated that up to 40% of children with food allergies will land in the emergency room.
How can I get involved with the Teal Pumpkin Project?
With several of the top nine food allergens, including milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soy, commonly found in Halloween candy, the Teal Pumpkin Project is clearly an idea whose time has come. If you want to support the initiative and the children it aims to help, simply paint a pumpkin teal or purchase one from a retailer like Amazon, which also sells court flags, panels, leaf bagsCharity please Bags And buckets theme around the event.
You can also visit the FARE website to free sign and flyer templates to help get the message across. And consider adding your residence to Teal Pumpkin Project Card to let your community and its children know that you will be offering non-food treats instead of or in addition to candy on Halloween. (If you plan to offer both, for safety reasons, be sure to keep them in separate bowls.)
What should I give on Halloween instead of candy?
After displaying your teal pumpkin decoration outside your home, be sure to take lots of photos and post them on Instagram with the official hashtag. #TealPumpkinProject. Then it’s time to stock up on non-food treats. Small Halloween-themed trinkets are a great way to go and can be cheaper to purchase than bags of candy. Specific suggestions include:
Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in Appalachia in western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveler and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Learn more about his journey at gleesonreboots.com.