Thursday, October 1, 2026
For Susie Pokalsky of Seaford, the Teal Pumpkin Project is a way to enable her daughter to have fun at Halloween. That wasn’t always the case.
The project is an awareness program organized by the Food Allergy Research and Education organization, or FARE, which offers information about food allergies and promotes inclusive trick-or-treating, according to the organization’s website. The households that take part display teal pumpkins to indicate that nonfood treats are available there.
“One of the hardest parts of having a child with food allergies is having to watch your child be left out,” Pokalsky said. “Halloween should be fun for all children, and the Teal Pumpkin Project helps make that a reality.”
Pokalsky’s 4-year-old daughter, Ella, is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Last Halloween, she was trick-or-treating with her parents and her 7-year-old sister, Annie, and started chewing on something containing nuts. “At that point, she said her throat was feeling funny, which is the first warning sign of an anaphylactic reaction,” her mother recounted. “We decided we had to use the EpiPen right then and there, in the middle of the street.”
After epinephrine is administered, the person who is injected must go to a hospital immediately, according to Pokalsky, who called 911 after Ella’s injection. She said that Annie was crying hysterically, but children around her comforted her. To help her feel better, one girl told Annie about a time she had to use her EpiPen, and how she was fine afterward.
The Pokalskys’ neighbors took Annie trick-or-treating with them while Susie and her husband stayed at the hospital with Ella. “It was one of the scariest moments of my life, knowing that my daughter’s life was in danger,” Susie said, “and at the same time, it was awful to have to leave my older child crying and scared. Thank God we have a community that looks out for each other, and I knew my older daughter was in good hands.”
The Pokalsky family participates in the Teal Pumpkin Project by giving out small toys, ordered from Oriental Trading Company, to trick-or-treating children with food allergies. “In addition to the nonfood items, we try to make sure that the candy we give out is safe for the majority of kids, because there are so many food allergies, not just nut allergies,” Susie said. “So we tend to stick to Twizzlers, Airheads, that kind of candy.”
The project focuses on all types of allergies, according to Pokalsky. “It’s about bringing awareness to all food allergies,” she said, “and having nonfood items that any child can enjoy.”
Tricia Kiernan, of Seaford, has taken part in the project for about 10 years — not because of allergies, she said, since no one in her family has them. “[I participate] not just for children with allergies, but also to give an option for parents who prefer not to have candy,” Kiernan said. “I try to offer small toys, gently used books and different types of treats, like pretzels, gummies, puffs, etcetera.”
Dorine Stein, of Wantagh, has been involved in the project for about five years. Her 11-year-old son, Hayden, is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, garlic and sesame, and Stein said she is very outspoken about food allergies. On Halloween, she offers regular candy, as well as Halloween pencils, stickers, mini-rubber ducks with witch faces and more. Dum Dum lollipops, she said, are one of the most allergy-friendly candies.
Stein also prints out information from the FARE website about the project, to let trick-or-treaters know that her home is food-allergy-friendly. It is a relief for some children, she said, to see the sign on the door.
Food allergies cause anxiety because those who have them are always watching what they eat, Stein said. “Allergy moms — we’re all a special breed, I think,” she added.
For more information about the Teal Pumpkin Project, including an interactive map of local homes that are allergy-safe, go to www.foodallergy.org/education-awareness/teal-pumpkin-project.
