(Family Features) If you participated in trick-or-treat adventures as a child, you’re part of a long tradition for millions of children. This year, you can teach your own children or grandchildren what it means to become a Halloween hero.
As the longest running youth engagement campaign in the U.S., Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has taught generations about the power they have to make a difference for the world’s children.
The program got its start in 1950 when a handful of kids in Philadelphia collected change in milk cartons ($17 that first year) to help children in post-World War II Europe. Over the years, the campaign grew into millions of children bringing little orange boxes with them on Halloween night to collect coins while trick-or-treating.
Generations later, kids have raised nearly $200 million for lifesaving programs for children around the world, providing health care, nutrition, emergency relief and more.
In honor of its 75th year, a month-long initiative is engaging partners and supporters with multiple options for giving.
“For 75 years, the little orange box has inspired generations to turn Halloween into something bigger,” said Shelley Diamond, chief marketing officer, UNICEF USA. “Today, whether through online fundraisers or family friendly activities, we encourage the young – and the young at heart – to put some meaning in their Halloweening all October long.”
Donations go to critical, flexible funding that can be used to help children when and where they need it most. The majority of funding goes directly to programs that provide children with essentials like safe water, education and vaccinations against deadly childhood diseases.
Funding makes a meaningful difference in everyday lives. Each $1 donation could provide a school or community with 30 pencils or two bars of soap. Every $5 can provide water for a child for a full year or ensure five more children can be vaccinated against measles. An $8 donation, less than most fast-food meals, could provide a package of 25 diagnostic tests for malaria.
Along with funding critical programs in 157 countries and territories, donations support UNICEF’s humanitarian supply network, which rushes essentials like emergency nutrition, blankets or medicine where they’re needed, often within 24 hours of a disaster or crisis.
The program got its start in 1950 when a handful of kids in Philadelphia collected change in milk cartons ($17 that first year) to help children in post-World War II Europe. Over the years, the campaign grew into millions of children bringing little orange boxes with them on Halloween night to collect coins while trick-or-treating.
