by Michelle Mullen<\/p>\n
As Halloween costs hit record highs, a group of volunteers is proving that joy doesn\u2019t have to come with a price tag.<\/p>\n
In October, the nonprofit 4Bronx Project collected more than 100 Halloween costumes and distributed them to children living in family shelters across the Bronx.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year we saw more demand than ever,\u201d Laura Levine-Pinedo, founder of 4Bronx, said. \u201cThe economy has made it harder for families to afford even small things like this. But it\u2019s about more than costumes. It\u2019s about giving kids a sense of belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n
The average Halloween costume cost $37.62 this year \u2014 an 11 percent increase from 2024, and roughly 25 percent higher than in 2020, according to consumer spending data from the National Retail Federation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people think, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s just a Halloween costume,\u2019\u201d Levine-Pinedo said. \u201cBut how do you tell a child they can\u2019t participate because you can\u2019t afford one? That\u2019s heartbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each fall, shelters send the nonprofit lists of children\u2019s ages, sizes, and costumes of choice. Volunteers then get to work finding the best match, a process that begins in September and continues until every request is filled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 4Bronx Project works year-round to provide essentials to Bronx families. But for Halloween, the focus shifts to ensuring that children who call shelters home can take part in a holiday that, for many, offers a moment of normalcy and imagination.<\/p>\n
Among the five shelters participating was Concourse House, a transitional residence for mothers and children under 9 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the price of costumes, it\u2019s certainly not a priority for our families, but they do want their kids to have a nice time,\u201d said Concourse House Executive Director Manuela Schaudt. \u201cEverybody\u2019s into Halloween. It doesn\u2019t matter what socioeconomic scale you\u2019re on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Schaudt said the 4Bronx Project team not only supplied costumes but brought decorations, treats, and games \u2014\u00a0 giving families a safe space to celebrate inside the shelter, where black and orange balloons adorned a spacious common area.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cOur moms are sometimes fearful of taking their kids out in the neighborhood,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice that Laura and her team bring the celebration to us so everyone can enjoy it safely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the those in attendance was Xiomara and her six-month-old daughter dressed in a plush lamb costume. All mothers The Press spoke to asked to omit their last names for safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows there\u2019s still hope in the world,\u201d Xiomara said. \u201cPeople who don\u2019t even know us just care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zaniah, a Concourse House resident of six months, watched her daughter sparkle, twirling in a donated princess gown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means everything that strangers do this,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople forget how important it is to come together when someone needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Rudith, who emigrated from Togo through France, the day carried an even deeper meaning. Her 8-year-old son, Mason, beamed in his new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfit,\u00a0 something she said she couldn\u2019t have provided otherwise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis helps me give my son a happy childhood,\u201d she said. \u201cBack home, things like this \u2014 safety, joy \u2014 aren\u2019t guaranteed. But here, we are safe. We can smile again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The drive was a true communitywide effort, Levine-Pinedo said, with volunteers coming out of the woodworks to help gather donations. Among them, a newly formed Daisy Girl Scout troop in Riverdale. The group of first graders collected dozens of costumes in just one day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a perfect opportunity and a good lesson in fairness and helpfulness,\u201d said troop leader Denise Gutierrez. \u201cIt really shows how generous the larger Riverdale community is when someone asks for help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much of the behind-the-scenes work fell to Barbara Zentner, a longtime employee at Regal Pharmacy and a devoted 4Bronx Project volunteer, who turned the pharmacy\u2019s basement into a sorting center, labeling costumes by shelter and size.<\/p>\n
Levine-Pinedo hopes residents continue to support the 4Bronx Project\u2019s effort beyond the holiday and encourages Riverdalians to donate their Halloween costumes this November.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tKeywords<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t4Bronx Project,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Bronx shelters,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Halloween costumes,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Laura Levine-Pinedo,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t community volunteers,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Concourse House,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Bronx nonprofits\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Michelle Mullen As Halloween costs hit record highs, a group of volunteers is proving that joy doesn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[14935,128,14940,14936,14938,14939,11843,14937,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-22551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-4bronx-project","tag-bronx","tag-bronx-nonprofits","tag-bronx-shelters","tag-community-volunteers","tag-concourse-house","tag-halloween-costumes","tag-laura-levine-pinedo","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}