Neighbors are handing out more than candy this year to trick-or-treaters

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - This Halloween, amid the government shutdown and SNAP issues, the El Paso County community is coming together to provide more than just candy to trick-or-treaters, offering something more substantial.

"There's just a lot of uncertainty right now. A lot of families, food insecurity, job security, and there's a lot of changes happening all at once. And I feel like right now, our neighborhoods need to step up, and our community needs to step up to care of their own," says Summer Justice, a neighbor.

Houses KRDO13 visited on Friday didn’t just provide candy; they also served meals like mac and cheese, soups, and all kinds of goodies!

A resident we spoke to says that if she has the means to go all out with decorations, then she can give back to the community.

"I have hundreds of dollars worth of decorations...if I can spend that on decorations, I can make sure kids have breakfast cereals and noodles and simple things just to make mom's life easier. Less stress for the parents," says Samantha Boxton, a neighbor.

Another house was even serving soup to keep visitors warm.

"We've just noticed a lot of our federal workers in the neighborhood here just haven't had access to as much funding or the services that are helpful right now. So we just tried to help out," says Caity Mcmanis.

Overall, it was great to see everyone spreading the love throughout the night and adding something "Absolutely Colorado" to the traditional trick-or-treating fare.

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