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In the headlines...

☕️ Another update on the Portland coffee shop offering free “Snap Breakfast” to anyone in need — people have now donated over $280K in five days to support the effort.

🥪 Illinois is directing $20 million to food banks in the state to help bridge the gap as SNAP funding is set to stop tomorrow.

🌀 If you’re looking to help victims of Hurricane Melissa for the long haul, here’s where to do that.

Halloween

Hundreds of homes across the country are competing to put on the best Halloween displays — they’ve raised nearly $1 million for St. Jude

Jeff Robertson admits he went “a little overboard” when decorating his house for Halloween in October 2020. His display was on the local news, and people traveled from all over the city to see it — and his family decided to use the attention for good.

So, Robertson started Skeletons for St. Jude — a campaign that encourages families across the United States to decorate their homes and raise awareness for children’s cancer research.

In the last five years, the cause has grown steadily from 400 homes in 2021 to 681 in 2024. This year, more than 1,000 were expected to participate, and the initiative has raised $977,792 since the fundraiser began in 2020.

Why is this good news? Participating in holidays like Halloween is even more fun when it’s a way to give back to others. Whether helping families access food or raising money for childhood cancer research, the things we already love, like going all-out for Halloween, can also be a force for good.

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More Good News

A beloved Mexican eatery in Nebraska is offering free “SNAPadillas” and setting up a makeshift food pantry. In the face of SNAP benefits ending on November 1, Muchacho’s is one of countless small businesses across the country opening its doors to people in need by offering a free meal.

Billie Eilish is donating $11.5 million from her world tour to causes supporting food equity, climate justice, and more. In her acceptance speech at the WSJ Innovator Awards, Eilish also challenged the ultra-rich to make impactful donations, too, saying, “No hate, but … give your money away.”

Illinois became the 13th U.S. state to pass a ‘Clean Slate’ law to automatically seal eligible arrest and conviction records. Opening doors to opportunity for 1.74 million people in the state, it’s part of a growing effort to ensure that outdated records don’t stand in the way of employment, housing, and stability for people “who have earned a second chance after being held accountable for a mistake.”

Learn more: Clean Slate Initiative aims to automatically clear records for 14 million

A nonprofit removed 300K landmines in Sri Lanka, allowing 280K people to return to their homes. Leftover from its civil war, the mines and unexploded bombs were cleared across an area 33% larger than the island of Manhattan, and their removal happened over the course of 16 years, allowing 120 square kilometers of land to be safe and usable again.

A Colorado nonprofit that saves food from being thrown away is now feeding hundreds of families ahead of SNAP benefits pause. We Don’t Waste recovers 100% of its food from grocery stores, restaurants, and other companies that would have otherwise thrown the products away.

People doing good

To help families losing SNAP benefits, people are handing out more than just candy this Halloween

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spooky-good good news

Whether you’re walking around your neighborhood tonight, headed out with friends, or handing out candy at home, here’s some spooky-good good news to celebrate on Halloween!

🎃 The “little orange box” tradition has helped trick-or-treaters raise nearly $200 million over the last 75 years.

👻 Creating more opportunities for people to find their next furry family member, shelter pets are posing in donated Halloween costumes to dazzle potential adopters.

💀 After his brother died on Halloween, a haunted house owner almost quit — now he’s “scaring with a care” to benefit the USPS’s Operation Santa program.

🥧 Waste from pumpkins on Halloween creates a massive methane problem, but chefs and farmers are teaching people how to cook, compost, or donate their pumpkins to feed animals.

🩵 The Teal Pumpkin Project helps homes around the world make Halloween more inclusive for trick-or-treaters with food allergies.

🧛🏻 For the past nine years, a man in Texas has thrifted all year long to make and donate free Halloween costumes to help families facing increasing costume costs.

More Good bits

⛵️ Need a last-minute costume? Use what you have! (Reels)

🦬 Or a last-minute pumpkin-carving idea? The National Park Service has got you.

🎃 And seriously, don’t toss your pumpkins in the trash! Do this instead.

♻️ If you like to nerd out about recycling. (Reels)

🏈 NFL players are backing WNBA players: Pay them what you owe them. (Instagram)

What’s good?

I’ve been having a hard time topping my Roy and Keeley costume from a few years ago for Halloween ...

Are you dressing up this year?

Reply and tell me your costume!

— Megan