If you haven’t noticed, there’s a pandemic going on this year, and, if you haven’t thought about Halloween in 2020 yet – well, trust us: It’s going to be a lot different than in past years.
That means that many local organizations – including the United Way of Greater Greensboro – are having to make plenty of adjustments. This year, the United Way has nixed its annual Trunk or Treat event and is instead holding a Young Leaders “Kits for Kids” Drive.
In Trunk or Treat events, held in past years, the Young Leaders of the local United Way, along with other community volunteers, decorated car and SUV trunks, and filled them with candy for kids to trick or treat at a large get together. However, COVID-19 makes that a non-starter this year.
The United Way of Greater Greensboro’s Young Leaders group is inviting everyone in the community to take part by hosting a “Kits for Kids” drive. Due to the pandemic that never seems to let up, the Young Leaders group has “reimagined” their annual in-person event to instead offer what’s meant to be a “fun, impactful volunteer opportunity,” for area residents.
United Way of Greater Greensboro Marketing and Communications Manager Lauren Forbis said this week that the new Halloween activity will provide some continuity for the organization.
“While we certainly wish we could gather together, we are confident the Kits for Kids drive will continue the legacy of this beloved event in a safe, impactful way,” Forbis stated in a Monday, Oct. 19 press release.
Families, church groups, groups of friends and others are being invited to host a “Kit for Kids” drive in their neighborhood, office or place of worship. They’re being instructed to assemble their kits and drop them off at the United Way during the week of Oct. 19.
Those kits will be delivered to community partners— including the United Way’s Family Success Centers, libraries, and to the African American Male Initiative mentoring program— for distribution to local kids.
Kits will be available for the public to pick up at the Vance H. Chavis, Glenwood and Hemphill branches of the Greensboro Public Library.
To sign up to host a drive, visit unitedwaygso.org/trunk2020. A toolkit of helpful tips along with a list of needed items can be found at that same website.
