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How Trick or Treat on Main Street Started...
At the August 2016 board meeting of the Glocester Business Association, Liz Yuill of Brown & Hopkins Country Store came up with the brilliant idea of sponsoring a Halloween event for the community of Glocester. Businesses would be invited to hand out treats to the trick-or-treaters, and the “admission fee” for the kids would be canned goods for the Foster & Glocester Food Pantries. The idea was received with great enthusiasm and a committee was formed on the spot: Liz (Chair), Joe Doura of Allstate Insurance, and Jill Stevenson of MouseWorks Website Design. Plans started immediately for our first-ever Trick or Treat on Main Street!
On October 29, 2016, children from Glocester and surrounding communities dressed in their Halloween costumes and donated canned goods for the Foster and Glocester Food Pantries. Each child received a trick-or-treat bag and a map showing all the participating businesses along Main Street in Chepachet. Along the route, children collected treats and had their maps stamped. The children then returned to the start point to choose a fun Halloween novelty item from our Goodies Cauldron, get a free raffle ticket, and pose for a free Halloween photo at a photo booth generously provided by Dan Ribeiro of The Purple Cat Vineyard & Winery. Numerous businesses, GBA members and non-members alike, donated great raffle items.
Approximately 450 children took part in this exciting event, and enthusiastic feedback from the children and their parents was overwhelming. Business owners from Main Street and beyond handed out treats to the children -- many rushed to nearby stores to replenish their candy supplies because of the great turnout!
Our goal was to fill the shelves at the Foster and Glocester Food Pantries in time for the holiday season, and we absolutely accomplished this. Due to the generosity of the participating families, we collected over 1500 items for the Food Pantries. We also collected $116 in cash from our wonderful community members, which was divided and sent to each Food Pantry, as well.
Because of the amazing positive feedback and the enormous benefit to the local food pantries, the GBA’s Executive Board voted unanimously to sponsor the event again in each succeeding year!
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