Given my Halloween interests, it is no wonder my work asks me
to help put on an annual Halloween event in the office.
It is traditional to
hold cubical decorating and costume contests along with a big chili potluck
lunch. We also invite employee families to the office in the afternoon for
trick-or-treating which I am in charge of.
Several years ago I convinced the
company to extend the event to a local women and children’s shelter. The kids
at the shelter generally do not get to go out on Halloween as their neighborhood
is not very safe. It was a fantastic hit and something both the shelter and our
employees now look forward to every year. In the past we sent the families home
with huge bags of candy, but this year I wanted to do something more that would
last longer.
With a little bit of work, I convinced our executives to
allow me to organize a sock and glove drive. We collected huge amounts of
socks, gloves and warm winter hats for adults and children of all ages.
I was
also able to get the company to provide essentials bags that we filled with
shampoo, toothbrushes, coloring books, flashlights, hair care products, stuffed
animals, etc. Keri and McKenna went with me to the dollar store and filled up
three carts with things for the bags. A few volunteers at the office then helped me sort the socks by size and age and pass out the bags to the appropriate age and gender of trick-or-treater. We even had special bags for the moms
that came. All the remaining items were then donated to the shelter.
It
was great to send them home with more than just the candy. One of the kids said
it was better than Christmas.
