Here’s One Out-Of-The-Box Way To Make Halloween About More Than Just Scares And Sweets

If your kids are anything like mine, they’re planning their Halloween costumes long before school gets out for summer each year. In their eyes, picking the perfect costume comes second only to fantasizing about the insane quantities of candy they will consume on what is surely the least favorite holiday of pediatric dentists everywhere. But while I love Halloween (I may or may not have stuck fake gravestones and a few jack-o'-lanterns into my front yard last year…), I want my kids to have their spooky fun while also using the month of October to do some good for the world. That’s why I am so excited that UNICEF — yup, the global humanitarian children’s aid organization with the iconic little orange boxes we all carried as kids on Halloween – has launched a completely new, digital experience that lets everyone participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF using a spooky QR code! Talk about thinking outside the box.

If you’re a little dusty on UNICEF and its work, here’s a cheat sheet: For over 75 years, UNICEF has made its mission to create an equitable world for every child. UNICEF operates in over 190 countries, using your donations to save children’s lives, defend their rights and ensure their health and well-being. Right now, UNICEF is assisting families in and around Ukraine and providing therapeutic food and water to drought-stricken nations affected by the malnutrition crisis in the Horn of Africa. And Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has been raising essential funds for the organization’s lifesaving programs since 1950! The great news (especially for kiddos who want to do social good while ALSO partaking in Halloween festivities) is that they can collect both IRL treats and digital donations using UNICEF USA’s new QR codes, making fundraising for children around the world easier and more effective than ever. I think we can all agree that the world needs as much help as it can get right now, and by adding some meaning to your Halloweening, you will definitely make the holiday that much sweeter.

How It Works

The “spooky” QR code will go live in the beginning of October, so you can support UNICEF all month long. Get creative with how and where you raise awareness and funds, whether it’s from community groups or your family, at Halloween parties or festive fall events. Just check out the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF website for downloadable resources to support your activities. On Halloween night, you can have some family fun with your kids and have them color in a poster or create a canister wrapper with the QR code and neighbors can scan to donate using their smartphones! Participating in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is not only a way to raise essential funds for the world’s vulnerable children using a simple cashless scan, but it’s also a perfect opportunity for doing some good with your kids.

Explaining UNICEF To Younger Kids

Older kids with some awareness of current events will likely have no trouble getting in the giving spirit, but what about younger ones who lack the vocabulary (or, perhaps, ahem, the sharing skills) to understand the value of philanthropy? You might say, “You know how you like to dress up on Halloween? Well, in some places, children need warm coats to stay cozy this winter, and we can raise money to keep them safe!” Or: “When we go trick-or-treating, generous neighbors give you sweets, but a lot of kids around the world don’t have enough nutritious food to eat — even on regular days — and this will help keep them healthy.”

Motivating Neighbors To Give

Most people believe that children around the world should have health care and immunizations, safe water and good nutrition, education and emergency relief. But it can be hard sometimes to understand the impact of individual donations. Thankfully, UNICEF USA has helpful stats that our kids can use to increase giving:

• $19 can buy a tarp of heavy-duty plastic to provide protection from the cold winter wind for a displaced family living in a temporary shelter
• $32 can buy thermal fleece blankets to keep five babies warm in places where winter temperatures can turn life-threatening for families living in poverty
• $55 can buy a family in Ukraine an emergency family hygiene kit with a month long supply of hygiene essentials for a family of five
• $60 can provide one malnourished child with a two-month supply of ready-to-use food, which can bring them back to health within weeks

Listen, after a hard few years, we all deserve to indulge in the mischievous fun of Halloween, putting on our creepiest costumes, decorating our homes with ghouls and ghosts and giving (or getting) sackfuls of sweet treats by the light of the moon as kids shriek in frightened delight. Through Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, we can direct that same energy towards to really make a difference through the month of October.