TRUNK-OR-TREAT HALLOWEEN EVENTS AT THE SALVATION ARMY A SWEET SUCCESS
Halloween at The Salvation Army is all about kids and fun, whether it be our thrift stores as destination shopping for costumes or trunk-or-treat candy giveaways for family gatherings.
“Last year, we had 400 people here, so we’re making this an annual thing where we are getting to know our neighbors and inviting them in,” said Capt. Marisa McCluer, officer of the Gateway Citadel corps in south St. Louis, the site of Oct. 25’s Trunk of Treat event for The Salvation Army.
In that moment, kids rushed by, with their parents and guardians nearby, as Capt. Marisa greeted them hello or goodbye, with a wave and smile.
“Have a good night!” she told people, at their exit.
Trunk-or-Treat is an annual tradition for The Salvation Army, with Halloween gatherings hosted by an area’s corps.
This year, Halloween artistic displays ran through hallways in the large Gateway Citadel building, made to look like festive “trunks,” full of surprises, with candy provided to kids who come through trick-or-treating.
Intricate displays upped the expectations for trunk excellence. A hand-carved pumpkin showed the message “Jesus will show you the way,” while a series of five small pumpkins in a row each had a letter carved in it to spell “Jesus.” There was a 10 Commandments for cowboys.
A trunk set-up by staff member Cherrie Schmidt and her aspiring artist daughter was assembled with a lot of love, dedication, thought, and holiday spirit. Witches’ hats of different colors, trolls, fall leaves, pinecones, and black-and-orange stuffed animals established a precise seasonal scene so detailed it looked like a dollhouse curio.
Costumes included clowns, ballerinas, dinosaurs, farmers, and Buzz Lightyear.
Besides giving a place for kids to hang out for Halloween, the trunk-or-treat events were intended to introduce community members to their Salvation Army corps.
“People can see our chapel, people can see our building,” Capt. Marisa said. “We have more of our church members here getting to know our families and neighborhood.”
Not far from the Gateway Citadel is the Temple corps, which held its Trunk-or-Treat on Oct. 26.
Both events were staffed by Salvation Army officers, including Capts. Matt and Virginia DeGonia, Capt. Matt McCluer, staff, volunteers, and representatives from Emergency Disaster Services, providing hot dogs and hot chocolate.
