I’m sure you’ve noticed several posts (like this one, thanks for clicking!) about Teal Pumpkins floating around social media. We’ve got the lowdown!

Halloween 2014 brought on a quickly growing phenomenon that promotes inclusion and fun for all trick or treaters - Teal Pumpkins! Imagine you’re young again, and have one or several food allergies. Now imagine going trick or treating, to only have to fork over all your hard earned candy because of those food allergies. So many children all over the nation face this soul-crushing situation. It’s no fun not being able to eat a majority of the treats you’ve strutted your halloween best for. That’s where Teal Pumpkins come into play. [gallery size="large" ids="3171,3172,3174"] Back to 2014, Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) started the Teal Pumpkin Project to spread awareness about food allergies during Halloween. Teal pumpkins not only add a unique look to your Halloween decorations, but this gorgeous splash of color also helps families of children with food allergies know that you support them during Trick or Treating. The Teal Pumpkin idea was first implemented by the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee (FACET) for local communities. Since then it’s spread like teal-colored wildfire. FACET saw a real issue with rising food allergies in the US, and decided to raise some awareness and amplify inclusion. Could you imagine being a little kid and not getting the FULL Halloween experience? Watching your friends revel in their pillowcases or bags full of candy while you had to give half of yours up? Heartbreaking. Well shockingly, 1 out of 13 children in the US suffers from food related allergies. Thanks to the Teal pumpkin Project, trick-or-treating can be fun for everyone!

Here’s how you can be a part of the Teal Pumpkin fun!

  [gallery size="large" ids="3173,3170"]   Being a part of the Teal Pumpkin project is easy. Paint up a pumpkin of your choice, and place it on your doorstep. By doing this, you’re indicating to parents that you are ready and willing to provide non-food treats like stickers, small toys, and various other halloween-type trinkets that won’t trigger food allergies. Many people have even gone as far as making common allergy-friendly (no egg, peanut, or flour) baked goods and treats so kids still have something to snack on! This way, Halloween is still fun for all! The Teal Pumpkin project has really picked up speed since 2014. This interactive map shows all the people already participating in the efforts. You can even add your own home to help show your neighbors even further that you plan to support those with food allergies. To learn more please visit the Teal Pumpkin Project's website! There you can find more ideas on getting ideas for non-food treats, and also how to help make Halloween safer! We at OCN LOVE this idea to help kids feel more included. We hope to see lots of Teal out there this Halloween! What are your thoughts?