Michelle Bergh

 I LOVE Halloween and costume parties!  Each year since 2012, I put on a HUGE Halloween costume party/food drive.  As "cost of admission", everyone is asked to bring non-perishable food items, which are then donated to The Valley Outreach Foodshelf in my community.

Typically, it takes about 3 days to set up all of the inside and outside decorations.  I have smoke machines, a grave yard, scary creatures along the trail of terror, carved pumpkins, ghosts, the grim reaper, scary music and more on the outside.  And on the inside, pretty much every space is decorated, and we always have scary foods like ghost milk, cat guts, cat urine, devil's blood and witches brew (all edible, of course!!).  And I decorate a small room, turn down the lights and put in candles, and we hire a "Gypsy fortune teller" to dress up and do readings for the guests. 

I've also promoted a We Scare Hunger project for the local trick or treater's.  Instead of asking for candy, they ask for non-perishable food items to be donated to the food shelf.

Above:  Ready to collect food for We Scare Hunger 2013

Below: Chatting with a "guest" at my 2013 party!

Above:  Some of the guests and food at the 2013 party.

Above:  Our graveyard each year!

Below:  Some of the food from one of the food drive/parties

 Below:  At the 2016 party/food drive

 Below:  More 2017 friends

Below: Trick or Treating for food donations instead of candy