Downey Moms 562 offering trick or treat alternative

One of the Halloween displays from last year’s Downey Moms 562 Halloween event last year. Photo Courtesy Natasha Gonzales

DOWNEY - For the second year in a row, a group of Downey mothers will be offering a safe drive-up alternative to Halloween fun.

With the usual spooks, screams, and trick-or-treat thrills effectively canceled due to the pandemic last year, members of the Downey Moms 562 Facebook group took matters into their own hands.

“The one’s that wanted to celebrate [Halloween], we felt bad,” said Natasha Gonzales, group founder. “We said, ‘What could we do safely.’”

What they came up with was a self-funded goodie-bag crawl with minimal contact.

“Downey did their own, but it was so crowded just to get to all of these locations,” said Gonzales. “It was just a little more easier for [families] to choose to come to us. It was drive-by, nobody really contacted each other.”

From location to location, participating children were treated to goodie bags that included candy, toys, and other fun activities.

Gonzales says that her children enjoyed giving out candy just as much as they would have trick-or-treating.

“To be honest, last year we had a lot of fun giving out candy,” said Gonzales. “I think they liked it more than getting it… The giving is the best part, I think.”

Homes are located across all of Downey. Because each goodie bag is self-funded by moms in the Facebook, everything is by RSVP. While Gonzales says that spots are all claimed this year, the group is anticipating some visitors from the general public. Gonzales still encourages interested families to join Downey Moms 562 and potentially visit some of the participating houses.

She added that this even will likely continue in years to come.

“I think this is good to have as an option,” said Gonzalez.

For more information, visit Downey Moms 562 on Facebook.