Trunk or Treat volunteers and cosplayers: Help New Bedford police share Halloween fun

NEW BEDFORD — For those who remember past eras , the streets of many New Bedford neighborhoods may look strikingly empty on Halloween compared to the trick-or-treat-filled evenings of old. While there are some exceptions, the area around the city's South Public Safety Center on Brock Avenue doesn't tend to be one of them.

"A lot of these kids who live in this neighborhood, they probably will not come out on Halloween night," New Bedford Police Deputy Scott Carola said.

That's why residents of this neighborhood, as well as many others across the city and beyond, have been flocking to NBPD's Trunk or Treat events in past years, Carola said.

"To a lot of kids, this is their Halloween and they really look forward to it."

This year, the fun is set to take place on Friday, Oct. 25, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the South Public Safety Center, 912 Brock Ave., in New Bedford's South End. Aside from the thrill of partaking in the trunk-or-treating, there's the fun of providing a trunk to share treats. Police need volunteers who'd like to help fill this need, Carola said.

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What do Trunk or Treat volunteers do?

"If you're familiar with trunk-or-treats, you park your car there, most people decorate their cars, a lot of people dress up in costumes themselves, and they'll stand by their car and hand out candy," Carola explained. "Some people get really into the decorating.

"We ask that you bring candy, but we also have a lot of backup candy for people too, so that's not an issue."

NBPD members have found backup candy is essential, Carola said, due to high turnouts for this popular event.

"This is going to be, I believe, our fourth year. We get a couple hundred kids easily," Carola said. "Everybody loves it; we've had a great reception."

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Come out and cosplay

Aside from volunteers to provide vehicles/trunks, Carola said cosplayers — hobbyists who dress up in elaborate costumes, often seen at themed conventions and events — have been a hit in past years and are welcome to volunteer their services on Oct. 25.

"If people are into cosplay ... we get a lot of people who like to do that as well — people who go to comic cons and things like that," Carola said. "If people enjoy that hobby and want to come interact with the crowd, we'd love to have them."

How to join the trunk-or-treat as a volunteer

Those who are interested in volunteering in either capacity — as a decorated trunk-provider or cosplayer — are asked to touch base with Carola before Oct. 25 via email at scott.carola@newbedfordpd.com .

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Trunk or Treat volunteers and cosplayers: Help New Bedford police share Halloween fun