Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Trick or Treat to Make a Difference

Here's a great charity that everyone can stand behind - UNICEF is holding their annual Trick or Treat for UNICEF fundraising event again this year. Please consider ordering, making, or picking up from Pier 1, Hallmark, and Baskin Robbins stores Halloween-themed Unicef boxes to take Trick-or-Treating this year to fill with change to make a change.
This is a fantastic opportunity to teach even the littlest children that they can help. And it's easy!



The first step is to explain to your children what they will be doing and why it's so important. You may also need to explain that it will not diminish their candy haul even a little. Each child should know that not everyone is as fortunate as they are but that they can make a difference. My boys were upset to learn that some children and even babies don't have enough food to eat, but they were also very excited to learn that they could do something to help.
The money they collect will benefit children all over the world by providing basic necessities like food, water, medicine, and education. UNICEF also provides aid to disaster areas such as the recent earthquake and tsunami victims which your kids may have seen on the news lately.

Every moment of every day, UNICEF is on the ground providing lifesaving help for children in need. We provide families with clean water and sanitation, we vaccinate against childhood illness, and we help protect children against malaria. We provide nourishment to fight malnutrition, and we care for children affected by AIDS. We protect children from abuse, and we give them an education. We are here to make sure that all children lead a healthy, humane, and dignified life.

UNICEF has been helping children for over 60 years and has saved more children’s lives than any other organization in the world. We have the history and the experience to overcome obstacles like politics and poverty—even war—which can stand in the way of helping a child survive. While we could never do it alone, we are often the ones who reach children in need after everyone else has given up.


On Halloween night, or your area's designated trick-or-treat night, just take your Unicef box/canister with you and ask people to contribute and have them explain where the money will go. Seriously, who can resist a tot in costume asking for pennies for charity?

And sending in your collected funds is super easy. Do you live next to a Coinstar machine? You can just dump the change in there and Unicef will receive 100% of it, no postage needed. There are also several easy ways to donate by credit card or the old fashioned way via the post office.
I'd suggest using the Coinstar machine and tossing in the money you otherwise would have paid in postage - every little bit counts!
Oh, and lastly, you can even double your take via a corporate sponsor - check out how here.

And if you don't have a child or don't plan to trick-or-treat, please consider a small donation anyway.

2 comments:

  1. I don't recall hearing about this before, but I LOVE the idea! We'll definitely do this next year.

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  2. There's still time to print your own canister cover! ;) I'm going to run to Hallmark today to see if they have any boxes, otherwise I'll let the kids make a can tomorrow. <3

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