If you have kids, chances are that at this time of year you also realize that you have at least a few old, outgrown Halloween costumes in your drawers and closets. You could pass them on to friends with younger children, or sell them…but if you don’t know anyone who might want them, and don’t have the time to place ads, negotiate prices and coordinate pickups, we have another great option – two local organizations that are seeking donations of gently used Halloween costumes for kids whose families can’t afford them.
First, Big Sunday is planning its 8th annual Spooky Sunday event on Sunday, October 29. Young guests from Alexandria House (a transitional residence for women and children), Hillsides (which treats abused children), Home-SAFE (serving children from low income families), KEEN LA (providing recreational opportunities for children with disabilities), and more will enjoy “trunk-or-treating,” a haunted house, carnival games, arts and crafts, face painting, pumpkin carinving, cookie and treat bag decorating…and a big costume giveaway at the event. So that means costume donations are being solicited now, in the weeks before the event. They need all sizes from infants to middle-school aged kids, boys and girls, and either new or gently used, clean and in good shape. If you have costumes you’d like to donate, please bring them to the Big Sunday office, 6111 Melrose Ave., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, before Monday, October 23. And if you’d like to help out on Spooky Sunday, you can do that, too, by RSVPing at http://bigsunday.org/get-involved/spookysunday/ or contacting [email protected].
Another great option for costume donations, perhaps handier to those in the western part of our readership area, is the collection Miracle Mile Toys and Games is doing for Baby2Baby, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that provides low-income children ages 0-12 years with diapers, clothing and other basic essentials, through more than 131 other non-profit organizations including homeless and domestic violence shelters, Head Start programs, and children’s hospitals in Los Angeles. Baby2Baby currently has a great many requests for Halloween costumes for low-income families, and Miracle Mile Toys has offered to serve as a collection point. If you have costumes you’d like to donate, just bring them to the toy store, 5363 Wilshire Blvd., during regular business hours (10 a.m. – 8 p.m. on week days, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekends).
It’s a great way to guarantee a happy Halloween for kids who might not otherwise have one.
