Halloween Costume Giveaway Doubled This Year In Hatboro

Community Corner

Halloween Costume Giveaway Doubled This Year In Hatboro HAT Packs has given away free costumes to Hatboro children for six years, its co-founder said.

HATBORO, PA —Christmas came early this year for Denise "DJ" Schultz.

The Hatboro-Horsham School Board Director wears another hat as a Hatboro resident and the wife of Mayor Tim Schultz.

She's the co-founder and director of HAT Packs, a non-profit organization that helps fill weekend hunger gaps for local school kids.

But besides filling bellies, HAT Packs provides other needs to children and one of those is what makes Schultz smile as bright as a child on Christmas morning.

It's called the HAT Packs Halloween costume giveaway and Schultz said it was a huge success, providing over 60 kids with free costumes this year —double of previous years.

"We love these Halloween giveaways," Schultz told Patch. "It's like Christmas for us."

For six years, HAT Packs has given away gently-used Halloween costumes.

Schultz said that usually 30 costumes are given away, but this year's giveaway kept giving and giving.

"There was such an outpouring of donations," Schultz said. "When the kids come in, it's better than going shopping without them having to pay."

The costumes take over the whole gym at the Pennypack Community Center on Spring Avenue.

And the donations were sparked by community support from libraries and even a digital billboard in neighboring Warminster Township from Hatboro Federal Bank's branch there.

The program has grown so much from its first year at the Lehman Church where Schultz said it was like a rummage sale. And through its volunteers.

Schultz thanked all the volunteers who helped set up and break down the gym for the costume giveaway, the Pennypack Community Center Building committee for providing the space, and the Hatboro Chamber of Commerce for donating the pumpkin kids craft table.

(HAT Packs)