Friday, October 16, 2026
For some Island Park families, finding the perfect Halloween costume is part of the excitement of the season. For others, the expense can be an added burden.
The Island Park PTA hopes to make sure every child can participate in the holiday festivities through its first Halloween costume drive, an initiative that has drawn strong community support and inspired new partnerships to help local families.
The drive began Sept. 22, shortly after the PTA wrapped up its first school supply drive. Donations have been collected at the Island Park Public Library and both district schools, with the library’s donation box filling so frequently that organizers have had to make multiple trips to retrieve costumes.
“It was inspired by our recent school supply drive,” said Amanda Ruderman, a PTA member who helped organize the effort. “Seeing the outpouring of support and how it brought people together really inspired us to continue on with what’s the next way we can give back.”
The school supply drive collected more than 2,000 pencils, more than 200 composition notebooks, crayons, backpacks, headphones, wet wipes and hand sanitizer. The PTA distributed at least four boxes of supplies to each school’s social emotional wellness teams, which include social workers and guidance counselors. Additional supplies were placed in teachers’ lounges and made available to families during back-to-school nights.
“It was really tremendous,” Ruderman said. “To see that really just sparked us to want to continue to see where we can go and give back.”
For the Halloween drive, donated costumes are being organized by size for families to choose from at the Island Park School District’s annual fall festival on Oct. 17 at Lincoln Orens Middle School.
Organizers also considered families who might not be able to attend the festival or feel comfortable selecting a costume publicly. The PTA worked with the district’s social emotional learning team to develop a confidential approach to providing assistance.
In some cases, the PTA has used monetary donations to purchase new costumes based on a child’s size and preferred character.
“We want the people who need the costumes to be able to get these costumes,” Ruderman said. “That’s why we’re doing it.”
The response has been so strong that organizers have not yet needed to distribute the donated costumes they collected. Instead, financial contributions have helped them fulfill specific requests from families.
“It’s really been so rewarding because that is one of our main objectives as a PTA,” Ruderman said. “We’re advocates for everybody. We’re like the voice of every child.”
The drive will also promote Halloween safety. Organizers plan to distribute reflective trick-or-treat bags, reflective bracelets and safety information in English and Spanish. The materials will remind children to walk with others, use flashlights and have an adult check their candy before eating it.
The initiative has also strengthened the PTA’s partnership with Tara Byrne, an Island Park Board of Education member and longtime chair of the district’s In-Need Committee.
Byrne said her involvement with the costume drive has primarily involved connecting families with available resources. She reached out to people she knew who might need assistance and helped identify children who could benefit from the effort.
“The one thing that’s great is that they reached out to me to see if I know anyone,” Byrne said. “Sometimes you don’t get a name of a list of kids right away, but you think in your head, ‘Wait a minute, I know this kid. Let me call.’”
Byrne has chaired the In-Need Committee for at least 10 years, helping families experiencing hardships such as job loss, illness or the death of a family member. Depending on their needs, the committee can arrange meal trains, provide gift cards for groceries and gas, and assemble baskets of essential items.
“Confidentiality is so important to us, and we would never want anyone to feel uncomfortable about asking,” Byrne said.
The committee collects different necessities throughout the year, including pantry items and snacks in October, ingredients for holiday meals in November and unwrapped gifts in December. Byrne said the committee hopes to expand its reach beyond district students to help other community members, including seniors and younger children.
The PTA plans to help publicize the committee’s monthly needs and establish additional donation locations, allowing residents to contribute items that can be distributed to families.
Ruderman said the collaboration reflects the shared goal of finding ways to support Island Park residents. Organizers also hope to work alongside existing community initiatives, including the annual food and toy drives organized by the elementary school’s Leadership Club and Lincoln Orens student council.
For Ruderman, the outpouring of support has reinforced the importance of continuing the PTA’s community service efforts.
“It just reminds all of us of why we started to be in the PTA, why this is an organization, why our community is great,” she said. “It really is wonderful to see.”
Families seeking a costume can contact the PTA to ask about available sizes and options. Costumes will also be available at the Oct. 17 fall festival, where families can select one at the organization’s table.
Byrne hopes residents who need assistance will feel comfortable reaching out, whether they are looking for a Halloween costume or help with everyday necessities.
“People think, ‘Oh my God, a Halloween costume. That’s ridiculous,’ but it’s not,” Byrne said. “A costume could make a child’s world.”
