Copyright Hartford Courant
It all started at Halloween after World War II in Philadelphia when a family decided to try something new with the Trick-or-Treat custom. Clyde Allison and his wife Mary Emma Allison asked children to collect money for charity instead of just candy for themselves. These donations collected at Halloween would give poor children in war-torn nations food, clothing and medicine. What started as a small idea turned big. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF was born in 1950. This Halloween tradition has done a lot of good for children around the world for 75 years. Nearly $200 million dollars has been raised for UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. UNICEF was created in 1946 in response to the suffering of children in World War II and the need for more aid. UNICEF has come the rescue of children in war and disaster zones ever since. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF donations have literally saved the lives of hungry and sick children in impoverished countries. This year might be Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF’s most important, because of famines in Gaza and Sudan. There are also numerous others nations where children are suffering because of conflict and poverty. UNICEF is at the frontlines of these emergencies helping children. But the agency is short on funding for many missions and has seen a loss of donations from the U.S. government including in a rescissions package. Participating in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF would raise much needed funds to help children worldwide. To join you visit the UNICEF USA web site and sign up. Upon request, UNICEF USA will mail you the free Halloween boxes you can use to collect the donations for Trick-or-Treat. A booklet is included with instructions and ideas. After Halloween you can send the donations to UNICEF to help their life-saving missions for children. Children who take part in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF learn about making a difference in the world through caring for others. That caring is most urgent in Gaza right now where a ceasefire has just occurred in the Israel-Hamas war. But the enemy of hunger knows no ceasefire. We have to provide food to Gaza where there is famine amid the war’s destruction. For the children of Gaza it is most urgent as malnutrition threatens them with lasting physical and mental damage, or death. “Famine has been declared in parts of the Gaza Strip, and the entire under-five population, 320,000 children, is at risk of acute malnutrition. More than 56,000 children have lost one or both parents. All children have experienced traumatic events and significant interruptions to their education” said UNICEF director Catherine Russell. Over half a million Palestinians are facing famine conditions in Gaza because of the brutal conflict. We need to get food to these war victims and it has to be sustained. Raising funds for UNICEF would help them aid children in Gaza. It is going to be a long hard struggle for children trying to rebuild their lives after the war. There are many other nations too where UNICEF is trying to save children including Sudan where a civil war has caused hunger and displacement. Famine is taking place in parts of Sudan and children’s lives are on the line as malnutrition dangerously escalates. Violence in Syria, Haiti and many other nations are causing severe hunger with children most at risk. In the Congo children desperately need food and medicine to fight off hunger and disease. The war in Ukraine takes its toll on children as the horrific attacks by Russia continue. Any bit you can do to help children is a noble act. This Halloween you can raise donations through Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. By joining with others in this cause you can also make a powerful statement for helping needy children around the world. With all the terrible things happening with wars and disasters we need something positive, especially for children. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is a great idea for everyone to celebrate Halloween and build upon a 75-year tradition of charity for kids.
