Children could stop by on Halloween night to receive a free bag for trick or treating, glow sticks and other treats.
While Mt. Laurel’s youngest were out trick-or-treating on Halloween, members from the Mt. Laurel Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 191 were also out to help provide a safe environment by hosting the second year of the lodge’s Trunk or Treat Safety Check Point.
Centralized in the parking lot of Parkway Elementary School, residents and their children were welcome to stop by anytime between 6 to 9 p.m. on Halloween night to receive a free bag for trick or treating, glow sticks to help kids appear more visible in the dark and other treats.
Kids also got the chance to nab a few pieces of candy without having to go door to door by stopping by the trunks of few cars stationed in Parkway’s parking lot that had also been decorated in themes for Halloween.
Once again hosting this year’s event was the Mt. Laurel Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 191, which was chartered in 2004 and includes current and retired officers from the Mt. Laurel Township Police Department.
According to Aaron Harty, president of Lodge No. 191, the group allows more than 80 current and retired officers to interaction with the Mt. Laurel community through various charitable endeavors.
“What we want to do is give back to the community as much as possible,” Harty said. “Along with getting exposure, this is just one of those things we thought would help us give back.”
Harty said last year’s event was well received, leading to Lodge No. 191 bringing it back for a second year.
“We keep putting the event out there, and hopefully people show up and enjoy it,” Harty said.
According to Lodge No. 191 Treasurer Nick DiGirolamo, while Lodge No. 191 also serves as a collective bargaining unit for officers, the group continues to also help the community.
“It’s about getting officers back in the communities we work for,” DiGirolamo said.
In addition to the Trunk or Treat Safety Check Point, the group also participates in fundraisers throughout the year, such as the Move for Mental Health Bike Ride that recently took place and contributes to groups such as the local Rotary and local parent-teacher organizations.
One attendee who decorated her vehicle for the lodge’s Trunk or Treat Safety Check Point was Elissa Thompson, who chose a pirate theme to go with her 2-year-old son Jack, who was also dressed as a pirate.
Thompson said the event was a nice way for kids as young as her son to enjoy Halloween safely.
“We were here last year and it was a good time,” Thompson said.
To learn more about the Mt. Laurel Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 191 and events the lodge is involved with, visit www.mlfop.org.
In addition to learning more about Lodge No. 191 on the site, locals can also support Lodge No. 191 by donating or purchasing T-shirts supporting the Mt. Laurel Police Department’s K-9 Unit and team Mt. Laurel in the Police Unity Tour, where officers ride bicycles to honor officers law enforcement officers across the country who have died in the line of duty.
