Donate your Jack-o-Lanterns for annual Bethany Cochrane Pumpkin Walk

Break out the pumpkins and carving kits to brighten Halloween night for Cochrane’s seniors.

Cochranites are invited to donate their pumpkin artwork on October 27, 2022, for the third annual Bethany Cochrane Pumpkin Walk.

“We set up the pumpkins in our large activity space and we light them up with the candles in the evening, we turn off the lights and we bring the residents through a little maze of pumpkins where they get to view the pumpkins,” explains Jackie Shier, Bethany Cochrane's volunteer services coordinator. “We play some Halloween music and they get to vote for their favourites.”

The event sprang into existence during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for residents to safely participate in the Halloween season. Since then, the excitement for the event continues to grow.

“The residents really enjoy the event. It's nice to have something to mark the fall season, and this is a lovely way for them to see what the kids have been up to in the community without having to leave the facility. They really look forward to it.”

Participants are asked to leave a slip of paper with their name, age, and number in the pumpkin as a way of contacting the first-place winner.

“The variety is quite interesting, “ says Shier. “The ones that win typically are the ones that are traditionally carved, they're more actually carved where a lantern can shine through them.”

The first place winner from last years pumpkin walk event

“They take it very seriously the judging and there's always lots of dialogue and then we keep the pumpkins on display for a few days after as well so they can enjoy them when their families come to visit on the weekend.”

After Halloween wraps up, the donated pumpkins are picked up by a local chicken farm.

“They take them out to the farm and feed them to the chickens. The owners there have been kind enough to send us pictures of the chickens dining on the leftover pumpkins which we also then print off and post.”

“A lot of our residents are from a rural background where they may have had chickens of their own in the past so they always get a kick out of seeing the chickens enjoying the remnants of the art display.”

Carved Jack-o-Lanterns can be donated on Thursday, October 27, 2022, at the front door of Bethany Cochrane before 4:30 p.m.