The Halloween Costume Swap will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Moorestown Library.
Every year, parents purchase a new Halloween costume for their children. The garment is proudly worn for one day, and then oftentimes packed away into storage never to be worn again.
Having experienced this phenomenon themselves, Suzanne Ernst and her family wanted to find a way to give used costumes a second life. This year marks the fifth anniversary of their brainchild, The Halloween Costume Swap. The swap will take place on Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Moorestown Library.
Halloween has always been a big deal for the Ernst family. Five years ago as they prepared for the holiday, the family got to talking about what a waste it was to only wear their costumes once. Ernst said her children suggested having some kind of party where they could trade costumes with their friends.
She said they discussed how it would be nice to find a way to recycle and help other people, so they settled on the idea of a swap. They set out to collect costumes and give them away as party of a community-wide costume shopping event.
Ernst reached out to MooreKids for some help with getting the idea of the ground. Ernst said the nonprofit was more than willing to provide volunteers, advertising and to help collect costumes, and the organization’s wider reach helped to spread word about the event. The family has partnered with the nonprofit to bring the event to life every year since then.
Attendees are encouraged — but by no means required — to bring a costume to the swap. In the library conference rooms, racks on racks of Halloween costumes are displayed for members of the community to peruse, try on and ultimately take home.
Each year, they try to create a festive environment for the swap with cookies for those who come, and MooreKids volunteers at the ready to help swap-goers piece together costumes.
Ernst consistently hears feedback from parents expressing their appreciation to them for hosting the event. She said they receive such a wide variety of donations that children are often able to get the costume of their choice, and those who have come in years prior look forward to returning to shop the swap.
For those just interested in donating, there’s still a satisfaction to be reaped. Ernst said it can sometimes feel frivolous to buy a costume and wear it just once. She said it feels good to watch as someone gives a costume another spin.
For the Ernsts, the swap is an event they look forward to each year. She said they’re happy to promote the idea of recycling, and her kids are always the first to put their costumes in the bin to swap.
“It’s kind of just brought us together as a family to feel good about doing our part on some small scale of giving back,” Ernst said.
The Halloween Costume Swap is sponsored by MooreKids and will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Moorestown Library. The swap is open to all ages. Those interested in donating can drop off their costumes at donation boxes located at the Moorestown Library, the Upper Elementary School and any of the Moorestown elementary schools. Contact Ernst for more information at svernst@hotmail.com.
