On Halloween there might be a twist you can add to the night’s festivities. Remember in the film classic Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, the comedic duo had to deal with not only one monster but also Dracula and the Wolfman.
At the end of the film, just when they thought they were safe, they meet another villain, the Invisible Man. (See youtube clip)
For Halloween tonight think of having someone invisible with you trick or treating, not someone as scary as Vincent Price’s Invisible Man character. But how about an invisible guest, one of the world’s hungry people, walking with you when you go door-to-door.
At any house if you asked for one dollar it could buy four or five meals for your invisible guest. You could send that money to a charity like the World Food Programme, UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children or Feeding America.
UNICEF has a trick-or-treat program it has been running for years, which you can learn more about at their web site. Susannah Masur of UNICEF USA says donations to the trick-or-treat program go to their general fund, which includes nutrition. This helps to purchase the life-saving food plumpy’nut, which saves children from deadly malnutrition. (See my article Halloween:Trick-Or-Treat or Plumpy’nut.)
It does not take much to help. Even without collecting a dollar, a few minutes online playing FreeRice can also raise donations. You could take a few minutes playing this game after trick-or-treating. Every correct answer you get playing FreeRice means donations to the UN World Food Programme, the largest hunger relief agency.
On Halloween you can also educate others about the 870 million people worldwide who are suffering from hunger. Just even talking about it on Halloween night can make a difference.
For although world hunger may be out of sight for most, it does not have to be out of mind. And Halloween offers a night where you can have fun and make someone else’s day too: Your invisible guest who can feel the joy of trick or treat because of your generosity.