‘Booing’ your neighbors with Halloween treats and décor has become a fun trend in FishHawk. Kids of all ages love creeping up on their neighbors’ porches and surprising their friends. They seem to have the most fun when they get to ring the doorbell and run away.
But this past Halloween, one street on Natures Reserve Dr. decided to play a ‘Booed for Food’ game instead.
“It was mostly my idea because I would rather spend money on food pantry items instead of candy for kids who go trick-or-treating a few weeks later anyway,” said Jennifer Bess. “I started the game on October 1 and the neighbors really caught the spirit and it took off from there.”
Instead of the usual candy, spider rings, ghost stickers and light-up pumpkin necklaces, residents of Natures Reserve Dr. in FishHawk West decided to change up this year’s game. With inspiration from Dylan Quesada’s 677 jars of peanut butter collected this summer for Seeds of Hope, the kids planned to ‘Boo with Food.’
Instead of all Halloween-themed gifts, residents left food pantry items like peanut butter and pasta on front porches, but they still added some fun Halloween treats to get everyone in the sugar-fueled holiday spirit.
“It’s an exciting thing to get booed with food and I love it because it goes to a good cause” said Cate Dobbins, age 11. “I like the thought that goes into it.”
The kids on Natures Reserve Dr. collected more than 500 food pantry items for Seeds of Hope, whose motto is to “nourish hope among people in need through the actions and help provided by our local students.”
“We had so much fun supporting Seeds of Hope and enjoyed that our neighbors all came together to have fun and give to others. It was a great lesson for our kids,” said FishHawk West resident Elisa Westlund.
Hannah Bess, age 6, summed it up nicely when she said, “I love candy, but I love to help people too.
Seeds of Hope is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization which provides weekly food distribution every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at 710 E. Bloomingdale Ave. in Brandon. For more information, visit www.sohopefl.org.
