Hendersonville ‘Trunk or Treat’ a howling success

Combining COVID-19 precautions with an evangelical outreach, Soldiers and friends of The Salvation Army Hendersonville, North Carolina, Corps held a "Trunk or Treat" drive-through event the night before Halloween. The Sons of the Savior Motorcycle Ministry and corps members lined up some 20 fall-related stations to offer candy to children driven by parents through the corps parking lot.

Revelers wore protective masks and gloves while dropping candy into the bags of delighted and costumed children, and families stayed in their vehicles in what likely substituted for door-to-door trick or treating for many in this infamous year of 2020. As they exited, parents were given information on corps worship and service opportunities.

Newspaper announcements, social media posts, and word-of-mouth attracted a happy onslaught of families enjoying a Christian-oriented autumn celebration, as well as spreading news about The Salvation Army in Henderson County. Traffic backed up to the corps building, and Hendersonville police and county Sheriff's Department deputies helped monitor the downtown streets.

"We estimated some 150 cars came through, leaving all of us without a scrap of candy," said Captain Phillip Stokes, Hendersonville Corps officer. "We really didn't know what to expect, since this is our very first attempt, but it turned out to be a much greater success than we imagined!"

—Major Frank Duracher