Inn from the Cold is looking for donations of new Halloween costumes for kids staying at the shelter.
“From toddlers up to 17-year-olds. We have about 50 children staying at the Inn right now. We need basically a few in each age group to meet the children’s needs to be able to participate in Halloween,” Louise Gallagher, director of communications and stakeholder relations for the Inn, said.
“One of the challenges of homelessness is that you don’t feel normal, and so for children, normalizing and feeling like you’re part of the group is really important. Being able to go to school dressed up in their costume or to talk about ‘I went trick-or-treating’ just makes you part of the crowd and that helps build better connections for kids. And it takes stress off the parents in that they know that their children are still getting the experiences they need, even though they are in a housing crisis.”
Donations can be dropped off at the shelter on 11th Avenue S.W.
The Inn asks that only new costumes are donated for hygienic reasons.