--- title: "A teal pumpkin on your porch says every kid is welcome here" url: https://magnanimo.us/daily/2026-10-31-teal-pumpkin-project/ description: "The Teal Pumpkin Project lets kids with food allergies trick-or-treat safely. How it started, how to join tonight, and non-food treats kids love." type: daily section: "Today's Kindness" published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: The Magnanimous Editors publisher: Magnanimous (https://magnanimo.us/) --- Today's Kindness · Everyday kindness # A teal pumpkin on your porch says every kid is welcome here One Tennessee mom painted a pumpkin teal so her son could trick-or-treat without saying no at every door. Now it's on porches in all 50 states. By [The Magnanimous Editors](https://magnanimo.us/about/#editors) · Published Saturday, October 31, 2026 · 3 min read · 4 linked sources For most kids, Halloween is the night the rules relax. For a child with a serious food allergy, it can be the opposite: a long walk of doorways where the treat on offer might be dangerous, and where they have to say no, or explain their disease, again and again. A teal pumpkin on a porch is a small signal that changes that. ## One family, one painted pumpkin According to [Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)](https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/teal-pumpkin-project), the project "began with one East Tennessee family looking for a better Halloween experience." Becky Basalone's son has a severe food allergy, and she wanted him to enjoy trick-or-treating "without having to refuse candy or disclose his disease at every doorway." Her family offered non-food treats and put a teal-painted pumpkin outside so kids would know. She shared the idea through the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee, and it spread. As [NBC New York](https://www.nbcnewyork.com/holidays/teal-pumpkin-project-halloween-2025/6405227/) reports, the project "was first launched in 2012 by a local food allergy group in Tennessee." FARE adopted it nationally in 2014. (Teal was chosen because it's the color of food allergy awareness.) By 2024, FARE says, its Teal Pumpkin Project map listed "over 12,500 locations and 91 events," with participants in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and 13 other countries. ## Why a separate bowl matters FARE says about 33 million people in the U.S. are affected by food allergy. Many classic Halloween candies contain common allergens. As an [Ohio State University Extension](https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/kidd-149osu-edu/halloween-safety-for-children-with-food-allergies/) guide points out, chocolate can be "terrifying if you are allergic to milk", and nuts, eggs, soy, wheat and certain food dyes are other common culprits. It adds that "many food allergies only require a small amount of the allergen to trigger a reaction, so cross-contamination is a major concern." That's why the project doesn't ask anyone to give up candy. It asks you to add an option, and to keep it apart. FARE's own advice on its [non-food treat ideas](https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/ideas-non-food-treats) page is simple: "If you're also serving candy, be sure to use a separate bowl." The same bowl also helps kids with other conditions that affect what they can eat, such as diabetes or celiac disease, as the OSU guide notes. FARE's CEO, Sung Poblete, put the point plainly in a line the organization quotes on its project page: "No child should ever be excluded from a celebration because of a disease." ## What to put in the bowl FARE's list of low-cost ideas includes glow sticks, bracelets or necklaces; pencils, crayons and markers; bubbles; Halloween erasers or pencil toppers; mini Slinkies; whistles and kazoos; bouncy balls; finger puppets; coins; spider rings; vampire fangs; mini notepads; playing cards; bookmarks; stickers; and stencils. It notes these can be found at dollar stores, party supply stores or online. Every kid can take one, allergy or not. If you're out of time to paint a pumpkin, FARE offers free printable signs, and you can add your address to its map so families can plan a route ahead of time. Kids old enough to help can sort the treats and make the sign, which is a nice, concrete way to talk about including others. Our guide to [teaching kids generosity](https://magnanimo.us/teaching-kids-generosity/) has more ideas like it. ## Today's act **The act:** Make your door a safe stop tonight. Offer a non-food option, keep it in its own bowl, and let families know it's there. - Grab a bag of glow sticks, stickers or spider rings on the way home, or raid your junk drawer for new pencils and erasers. - Use a separate bowl for non-food treats, and let kids choose without having to explain why. - Put out a teal pumpkin, or print FARE's free sign and tape it to your door. - If you have time, add your address to the Teal Pumpkin Project map so families can find you. Want more small ways to make someone's day? Browse our list of [random acts of kindness ideas](https://magnanimo.us/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas/). ## Sources 1. [FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) — Teal Pumpkin Project](https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/teal-pumpkin-project) 2. [FARE — Ideas for Non-Food Treats](https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/ideas-non-food-treats) 3. [NBC New York — Make Halloween inclusive: How to join the Teal Pumpkin Project (Oct. 15, 2025)](https://www.nbcnewyork.com/holidays/teal-pumpkin-project-halloween-2025/6405227/) 4. [Ohio State University Extension, Live Smart Ohio — Halloween Safety for Children with Food Allergies (Oct. 22, 2014)](https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/kidd-149osu-edu/halloween-safety-for-children-with-food-allergies/) Today's act Put a bowl of non-food treats by your door tonight, separate from the candy, and set out a teal pumpkin or a printed sign. [How to do it](https://magnanimo.us/daily/2026-10-31-teal-pumpkin-project/#todays-act) · [Draw another kindness](https://magnanimo.us/kindness-generator/) ## Go deeper Everyday generosity ### [75 random acts of kindness ideas, from free to five dollars](https://magnanimo.us/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas/) Seventy-five small, specific kindnesses sorted by budget and setting, plus what research says about why they land harder than you expect. 7 min read Everyday generosity ### [How to teach kids generosity, age by age](https://magnanimo.us/teaching-kids-generosity/) What the research says about kids and giving, plus spend-save-give jars, age-by-age activities and family traditions that stick. 6 min read ## More from Today's Kindness October 30 · Science of giving ### [The thank-you letter you keep putting off is worth writing](https://magnanimo.us/daily/2026-10-30-gratitude-letter/) People who write gratitude letters guess the recipient will feel a little awkward. Recipients mostly feel surprised and delighted, and the writer gets a lift too. Today's act Write a short letter to someone who helped you and never heard a proper thank-you. Send it, or better, read it to them. October 29 · Science of giving ### [That small kindness meant more than you think](https://magnanimo.us/daily/2026-10-29-kindness-underestimated/) Givers think about the cup of hot chocolate. Receivers feel the warmth behind it. That gap may be why we hold back on kindness. Today's act Do one small, warm thing for someone today, like a note, a coffee or a favor, and don't talk yourself out of it as "too small." October 28 · Science of giving ### [Kindness is contagious, up to three people away](https://magnanimo.us/daily/2026-10-28-kindness-is-contagious/) In a lab game among strangers, each act of generosity was copied down the line, reaching people up to three steps away. Selfishness spread too. Today's act Do one visible, generous thing for someone today, then make it easy to pass on: tell them they don't owe you, just someone else. [Every entry in Today's Kindness →](https://magnanimo.us/daily/)