Teal Pumpkin Project || Guest Post from Tami Pyles of Thrive On Consulting

This post was previously published on Louisville It Mom last year. With Halloween around the corner, and dealing with Hudson's food allergy, I wanted to share this here on More Skees Please. 

Have you seen teal pumpkins popping up on porches across your neighborhood? It's not the latest decorating fad (although I do love the color), these pumpkins symbolize an important intitiative to keep kids with food allergies safe at Halloween - The Teal Pumpkin Project. 

The Teal Pumpkin Project aims to keep children with food allergies safe while trick or treating. By placing a teal pumpkin at your house you commit to offering non-food treats at Halloween – a great way to ensure a safe and fun night for those who could suffer life-threatening consequences from ingesting allergen containing candy.

As a food allergy mom, Halloween is one of the scariest holidays! It is frightening to think that consuming a piece of Halloween candy could lead to a life-threatening reaction; and it is heartbreaking at the end of Halloween to watch my daughter go through her candy and have to discard a majority of it because it is not safe for her. The Teal Pumpkin Project helps ensure safe treats make it into her bag, and the bags of the many other children with food allergies.

In fact, 1:13 children have a food allergy. With numbers this high, it is a given that some of your trick or treaters will have food allergies. Ready to make it a safe holiday for everyone? Follow these three easy steps to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project:

Step One: Get a Pumpkin and Paint it Teal
I have found that acrylic paint and white pumpkins work really well (although orange pumpkins can be painted too!). Don't have time to get and paint a pumpkin before Halloween? No problem! You can also download this flyer from FARE, a national organization that supports food allergy research and education, and display it on your door to indicate that you are participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project.

Step Two: Purchase Non-food Treats 
There are lots of great options to offer as non-food treats for the Teal Pumpkin Project, these include: bubbles, stickers, glow sticks, spider rings, temporary tattoos. Head to the dollar store or party store to stock up on great non-food loot. And, if you are participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project, it doesn’t mean that you can’t offer candy too. Just keep your candy and non-food treats in separate bowls to prevent any cross-contact.

Step Three: Display your Pumpkin and Keep it Safe on Halloween
When trick-or-treaters visit your house if they see a teal pumpkin they will know that you offer non-food treats. Non-food treats also help other children who might have medical conditions that require them to monitor sugar intake or avoid certain foods like sugar and food coloring.

Want more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project? You can find it here. Do you need more information on food allergies or assistance managing life with food allergies?  Check out my company, Thrive On Consulting. I work with individuals and families dealing with food allergies to navigate day-to-day life safely and Thrive On with food allergies. I also do training sessions for groups and organizations on food allergy awareness and creating safe and inclusive environments.

Happy Halloween and Keep it Teal!

Tami Pyles is the Founder of Thrive On Consulting- dedicated to helping those with food allergies. She lives in Prospect with her husband and two daughters, ages and 4 and 6.

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