There’s something amazing about getting decked out in our craziest costumes and heading out for a night of trick-or-treating every Halloween. But, what if the treats could feed kids minds instead of their cavities?
This year across Canada, in collaboration with a creative crew of community organizations Books For Treats™ Canada is offering an alternative to Tootsie Rolls and candy corn.
Kids, families, businesses and organizations across the region are invited to participate by offering gently used books instead of candy to trick-or-treaters. Books For Treats Canada makes it easy to do right from your doorstep with a downloadable how-to kit available at Booksfortreats.ca that gives you instructions, posters, bookmarks and more free of charge.
The initiative, while new to Canada, got started in San Jose, California 10 years ago and has taken off in communities across the United States. Since then, it has fostered a movement that has given out thousands of books to children every year at Halloween.
As parents, book lovers and business owners, the team behind Books For Treats Canada was inspired to bring the initiative North of 49 as a way to take a step back into more simple times when Halloween was about creativity, great stories and special treats.
It’s also a safe and healthy alternative to candy that makes sense for families and for the planet. The average family spends about $30 on Halloween candy. Why not go through your stacks or hit the second-hand stores and spend that on books?
Helping to reduce the rates of childhood diabetes and obesity while creating a love of stories helps us raise monster readers. We can do that easily and have lots of fun with Books for Treats Canada.
While local residents are invited to give out books at home, community organizations including libraries, literacy organizations, schools, daycares and community groups are invited to host special book stations and fun reading- related experiences for the whole family. This gives it a true sense of community that brings people together.
You can get more information and download the how-to kit at www.booksfortreats.ca
