Posted by on Oct 2, 2013 Views: 2430

Treat, No Tricks This Halloween

When it comes to Halloween, we definitely recommend choosing to treat rather than trick – but this year, put a twist on the old mantra by treating someone else!  With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner it’s easy to overlook this spooky night, but Halloween has just as much potential to be a great holiday for giving back to the community. Here are some tips for how to make the most out of October 31:

1. Trick or Treat for donations.
Send your kid offs with their friends for another year of trick-or-treating – but this year, make sure you outfit them all with little orange boxes.  UNICEF’s Trick-or-Treat program lets your children experience firsthand the ease and satisfaction of donating to charity.  When they go around asking for candy, they can also ask for small donations to UNICEF that go towards providing food and clothing for children around the world.

2. …And also Trick or Treat for eyeglasses!
OneSight’s Sight Night encourages children to trick or treat for gently used prescription glasses and non-prescription sunglasses on Halloween.  OneSight donates these glasses to adults and children in developing countries.

3. Attend a ball.
Look up some local Halloween charity balls and bashes for a fun way to spend your night and give back!  The Scary for Charity Halloween Bash supports Kern Partnership for Children and Families and The Jamison Center, while the Halloween Charity Ball in Akron donates to Canapi and the Andrea Rose Teodosio Foundation.

4. Create your own haunted house.
Feeling creative on Halloween?  Decorate your house with cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and tombstones, and dress up in scary costumes to treat your neighborhood kids to the horror show of their lives.  Pick your favorite charity to donate to and charge a small admission fee to visit your haunted house.

5. Donate leftover candy.
It might be hard to pry those Snickers bars out of your kids’ hands…but once you explain to them that they’re going to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, hopefully they’ll be a little more willing.  Operation Shoebox collects donations of snacks, personal care items, and yes, holiday candy, to send a sweet surprise to our troops overseas.

Looking for more local opportunities to give back on Halloween, or have a story about a great Halloween charity experience?  Browse our site for other great nonprofits or write a review!