Halloween can be a frighteningly expensive holiday for families, but the Cherry Hill Public Library is helping take some of the scare out of finding the perfect costume.
The library is bringing back its annual Halloween Costume Grab, a community program that allows families to donate gently worn costumes and gives residents an opportunity to pick out costumes for free.
Now in its third year, the program was created as part of the library’s efforts to offer more sustainable programming, according to Hope Holroyd, MA, Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator at the Cherry Hill Public Library.
The event was previously known as a costume swap, but the library changed the name to Halloween Costume Grab this year to make it clear that families don’t need to donate a costume in order to take one home.
The program has continued to gain momentum since its debut. Donations increased between the first and second years, with well over 100 costumes collected last year. Holroyd said organizers are hoping to receive at least that many again this fall.
“The community is often gracious and appreciative,” Holroyd said. “Lots of families come through and note how much this helps them.”
Keeping the costumes free and available to everyone is an important part of the program’s mission. Rather than raising money, the library wants to help ensure that families throughout the community can make the most of Halloween, regardless of their budgets.
The Costume Grab also gives families an opportunity to clean out their closets while keeping clothing and other materials out of landfills.
Holroyd said the library’s sustainability committee works throughout the year to develop programs centered on reuse. Those efforts include Project Prom, an annual craft supply grab around Earth Day and the upcoming Bundle Up Coat Drive.
A new program called Wrap It Up will also collect gift wrap, greeting cards and gift bags from Oct. 17 through Nov. 15, followed by an event on Nov. 17. The coat drive will run from Nov. 23 through Dec. 12, with the Bundle Up event scheduled for Dec. 15.
For the Halloween drive, the library welcomes costumes for all ages and sizes. Youth Services Supervisor Jasmine Riel said children’s costumes tend to make up a large portion of the donations, so organizers would especially welcome more options for teens and adults.
Over the years, the donations have included a few surprises.
“The first year we ran the costume grab, someone donated an eagle head,” Riel recalled. “At the time, one of our student volunteers who was helping out at the costume grab was excited at the idea of dressing up as Swoop, the Philadelphia Eagles mascot. We’re happy that he was able to take the eagle head home!”
For Riel, seeing one person’s old costume become someone else’s Halloween find captures what the program is all about.
“Families are not only happy to clear out their own closets but give back to someone else in need,” she said. “Just like a book at the library, it’s always a special feeling to see items that are shared by the community.”
It also reflects a broader mission for the library.
“We have always said that the library is more than books,” Riel said. “The library is about sharing — sharing stories, sharing information, and sharing resources. Events like our costume grab prove that the library is truly the ‘heart of town.’”
No registration is required to browse, and participants do not have to donate a costume to take one. The library asks families to take only one costume per family member so there are enough choices for everyone.
Costumes that remain after the event are offered to other organizations that can distribute them for free. Organizations interested in leftover costumes can contact Youth Services Outreach Librarian Melissa Brinn at outreach@chplnj.org.
The library hopes families leave with more than something to wear on Halloween.
“We hope that families see that the public library cares for the community in so many ways,” Riel said, “and we hope that an event like this can inspire everyone in the community to be kinder, more charitable, and more empathetic.”
