MONROE - For some parents, the candy is the scariest part of Halloween, especially if their child has food allergies.
Teal pumpkins will be out this Halloween designating homes where toys and prizes are available to trick-or-treaters with food allergies.
Kim Hedeman, a Monroe mother of a 5-year-old with food allergies, is trying to spread awareness of the risks at Halloween for children with food allergies. Hedeman said Halloween can be a stressful time for her as her son Liam is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and sesame seeds; monitoring what gets dropped into his Halloween bucket has become a worrisome activity.
"We took him to the Madison zoo the other weekend and they were passing out candy, so I had to jump in there and barricade his bucket really quick," Hedeman said. "He (Liam) has been pretty good. When we are done trick-or-treating, he will pass over his bucket and we will give him his special allergy-free food."
Hedeman hopes to ease some of the stress on parents of kids with food allergies by putting out a teal pumpkin on her doorstep, signaling that her home will share toys to those with food allergies.
"Of course we will have candy at the house to pass out, but it's the kind my son can safely eat," she said.
The Teal Pumpkin Project, sponsored by the Food Allergy Research and Education organization, aims to allow children with food allergies to safely enjoy Halloween like any other child. The campaign spread quickly on social media earlier this month; their first post to Facebook garnered more than 49,000 shares as of Monday.
FARE is an awareness organization formed in 2012 in support of the 15 million Americans affected by food allergies, according to the group's website. The Center for Disease Control reports in a 2010 study that about 4 to 6 percent of children in the United States have a food allergy.
The Teal Pumpkin Project encourages people to paint their orange pumpkins bright blue and set them outside their door if they are offering non-food treats such as glow sticks, stickers or Halloween-themed toys. A flyer is also available to be printed off their website: blog.foodallergy.org
Hedeman said she hopes the teal pumpkin will take off in rural areas as it has in bigger cities.
"My hope is that local communities will partake in it as well," she said.
Teal pumpkins will be out this Halloween designating homes where toys and prizes are available to trick-or-treaters with food allergies.
Kim Hedeman, a Monroe mother of a 5-year-old with food allergies, is trying to spread awareness of the risks at Halloween for children with food allergies. Hedeman said Halloween can be a stressful time for her as her son Liam is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and sesame seeds; monitoring what gets dropped into his Halloween bucket has become a worrisome activity.
"We took him to the Madison zoo the other weekend and they were passing out candy, so I had to jump in there and barricade his bucket really quick," Hedeman said. "He (Liam) has been pretty good. When we are done trick-or-treating, he will pass over his bucket and we will give him his special allergy-free food."
Hedeman hopes to ease some of the stress on parents of kids with food allergies by putting out a teal pumpkin on her doorstep, signaling that her home will share toys to those with food allergies.
"Of course we will have candy at the house to pass out, but it's the kind my son can safely eat," she said.
The Teal Pumpkin Project, sponsored by the Food Allergy Research and Education organization, aims to allow children with food allergies to safely enjoy Halloween like any other child. The campaign spread quickly on social media earlier this month; their first post to Facebook garnered more than 49,000 shares as of Monday.
FARE is an awareness organization formed in 2012 in support of the 15 million Americans affected by food allergies, according to the group's website. The Center for Disease Control reports in a 2010 study that about 4 to 6 percent of children in the United States have a food allergy.
The Teal Pumpkin Project encourages people to paint their orange pumpkins bright blue and set them outside their door if they are offering non-food treats such as glow sticks, stickers or Halloween-themed toys. A flyer is also available to be printed off their website: blog.foodallergy.org
Hedeman said she hopes the teal pumpkin will take off in rural areas as it has in bigger cities.
"My hope is that local communities will partake in it as well," she said.