Halloween Costumes Can Find New Life

The catalogs are strewn all over the den, and dinnertime conversation between my two youngest keeps coming back to one of the most important decisions of the season: What to be for Halloween? 

Right up there with Christmas and Thanksgiving, Halloween evokes some of the most vivid family memories.  There were years when my enthusiasm almost matched that of my kids, as I helped each one find just the right costume from Disney Store or Costume Express.  Even better were the times assisting in the creation of head-turning get-ups cobbled together from long-forgotten items in our closets and dresser drawers.  There was Beth’s “Princess Period,” Paul’s “Ninja Phase,” and I’ll never forget the year “my” Thomas dressed as “The” Thomas – the Tank Engine (a VERY long time ago).

While Thomas, now 17, is content to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids in his sweats, Beth and Paul still get psyched about dressing up for class parties and trick-or-treating with friends.  Yet many of the costumes that once elicited such excitement and delight are now relegated to bottom drawers or the back of closets, pulled out on occasion with the comment, “Remember when…” (Experiences, I’ll bet, which are shared by many other families in town.)

Halloween costumes can hold voluminous memories, but they weren’t meant to be relics.  And many children today dream of dressing up as superheroes or fairy princesses, but won’t have the opportunity to enjoy such festivities -- without some help.

That help comes from Jersey Cares, a Newark-based nonprofit that coordinates a multitude of volunteer efforts benefitting thousands across the state.  Since 1993, Jersey Cares has been partnering with local groups to identify community needs and implement volunteer projects to meet those needs. 

I know them well. Girls from my scout troop have painted murals and walls in Newark schools as part of Jersey Cares Day and Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service.  We also join each year with other troops in town to support the annual coat drive.

In 2009, Jersey Cares held its first Halloween Costume Collection Drive at the request of a few of its homeless shelter partners whose tight budgets didn’t allow for children’s costumes, according to Sherry Fazio of Jersey Cares.  “The first year we collected and distributed 200 costumes,” she said.  “Then the program just blossomed.  Last year, we distributed nearly 1,400 costumes to our project partners, enabling kids in need throughout the state to have a Happy Halloween.”

You can support the Jersey Cares Halloween Costume Drive by donating new or gently used children’s costumes to the local collection site at Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy, 8 St. Cloud Place, between Prospect and Northfield avenues in West Orange.  A collection bin is located in the school lobby, and donations can be dropped off weekdays 8 am to 5:30 pm, from now until Wednesday, October 19. 

Items accepted include new or gently used children’s costumes (no adult costumes), Halloween masks and Halloween face make-up.  Please make sure multiple pieces of the costume are kept together in a bag.  We’ll sort and transport the costumes to Jersey Cares on Friday, October 21, in time to distribute them to children shelters, schools and agencies throughout the state.

My kids experienced a lot of joy through their costumes, and I’m glad there’s a way to spread that joy to others.  If you have some gently used children’s costumes gathering dust, please consider giving them a new life by donating them to Jersey Cares.