BRUNSWICK — Brunswick United Methodist Church invites members of the community to Trick or Treat for UNICEF this year. The Children’s Party on Sunday, Oct. 27, from 3-5 p.m., at 320 Church Road, will offer free food and fun as well as learning how UNICEF serves the worlds’ children.

Trick or Treat for UNICEF boxes will be available for use in your Halloween activities. Adults may also take a box, or more, to “trick of treat for UNICEF with your family and friends.

Boxes may be picked up at the party, during church office hours, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday or on Sunday mornings from 8:30-11:30 a.m., and should be returned to the office by Nov. 4. Donations may also be made through the church website between Oct. 21-Nov. 4. All funds will be sent to UNICEF.

The tradition of ‘Trick-or- Treat for UNICEF’ began in 1950 in the United States, when Philadelphia schoolchildren first went door-todoor at Halloween collecting money in decorated milk cartons to help their global peers.

They raised a grand total of $17, kicking off a campaign that has since brought in millions of dollars each year to help UNICEF provide medicine, better nutrition, safe water, education, emergency relief and other support to children in more than 150 countries.

And millions of children now participate in Halloween related fund-raising campaigns in the United States, Canada and Hong Kong, China, among other places.

But in these campaigns, children go far beyond trick or treating in scary costumes with the familiar orange collection boxes in hand. Children and young people take part in various fun and educational events that help them gain a better understanding of child rights and the challenges facing children around the world — including poverty, killer diseases and armed conflict. They help stage events to raise funds and increase awareness about these issues, and in doing so learn that they can help change the world.

For more information, visit www.unicef.org or www.umcbrunswick.org, or call 725-2185.