This weekend, the Fifth Street Public Market will not be a typical outdoor store of local goods and shops. Instead, vibrant orange, carved pumpkins will inundate the city streets as community members come together to contribute to a local cause.
ShelterCare is holding Jack-O-Lanterns, its very first pumpkin-carving and decorating contest, at Fifth Street Public Market. For $2, participants get a chance to display their pumpkin and be named the contest winner.
Scavenger hunts, pumpkin-carving demonstrations, costume parades and even a pumpkin seed spitting contest will go along with the pumpkin display.
University senior and ShelterCare volunteer Lindsay Walsh said this event promotes creativity and the spirit of Halloween, and is sure to bring the community together.
“We are hoping that this event will become an annual thing,” Walsh said. “Our goal is to get the community involved in any way possible. We have attempted to reach out to many organizations and businesses within the community. This year’s success should bring more community support in the future. This really is an event for families and people of all ages.”
One University student and Jack-O-Lanterns participant, senior Jazz Bradley, said he loves to be involved in anything that gives back to the community. He also said he’s not sure how he will carve his pumpkin but claims it will be looking really “rad.”
“I hope this Jack-O-Lanterns on Fifth continues because it brings awareness of the homeless to students and is a great way to give to people that are less fortunate than ourselves,” Bradley said. “I feel that everyone should be able to have a good meal for the holidays.”
Lucy Vinis is a member of the development team at Eugene ShelterCare and is confident this event will put people in a giving mood.
“It is about the coming together of Eugene to do something positive that will help support the homeless,” Vinis said. “Anyone can bring their carved or decorated pumpkins to participate in something that is both fun and visually exciting.”
Walsh said this kind of fundraiser is different because carving pumpkins around Halloween is fun and easy — and something people are already doing.
“Typically, giving to a cause involves taking your checkbook out and signing away a sum of money,” Walsh said. “If you carve a pumpkin for Halloween anyway, why not make one more for a great cause? Two dollars is doable for most of us.”
Vinis explained that in recent months, the need for Eugene ShelterCare resources has greatly increased because of job losses and the economic downturn.
“We are trying to really kick-start awareness during this winter season when our services will be in high demand. So many Eugene and Springfield residents have lost their jobs or have fallen behind on rent, and they are going to look to us for help,” she said.
The money raised will go toward ShelterCare’s three primary programs, Emergency Services, Mental Health Services and Brain Injury Services. ShelterCare serves populations of the community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including people with acquired brain injuries, people with mental illnesses and families with children.
Walsh said carving a unique design into a pumpkin this Halloween can provide food, housing and even winter coats to families in need this fall.
“This is the time of year when we all need to show a little bit of understanding and compassion. I think it’s most important to educate ourselves about the issues surrounding homelessness and try to spread awareness,” she said.
[email protected]