Halloween costume drive for Calgary families facing domestic violence

For kids living in and escaping tough situations, something as simple as a Halloween costume can mean a lot; a chance to play, laugh and just be a kid.

To celebrate the holiday, one Calgary company is making sure the Halloween spirit reaches families that need it the most.

“This is our fourth year doing this now. It started off as a very small initiative the simple goal of ensuring kids can join in on the Halloween celebrations,” said Astra Group chief marketing officer, Logan Smith. “We saw great success the first couple years and now it’s just become something that we do every single year.”

Smith explains the company switches the organization benefitting every year to spread the impact.

This year, Astra donated close to 150 costumes.

Mandy Robinson, director of programs at Radiance Family Society, says some of the costumes will go to kids that have never got the chance to trick-or-treat before.

“There’s a number of kids that are just not used to being able to participate in something like Halloween and so when families are making tough choices, when they’re trying to highlight safety, when they’re trying to make sure that their families have all of their needs; that often means smaller moments like this just can’t happen,” she said.

Robinson adds that costumes like princesses and superheroes can also help with child therapy, and how kids can make sense of domestic violence.