What does Kids in the Kitchen have to do with Halloween?

Not much.

KITK programs typically take place in the spring. Halloween, well, you know.

KITK focuses on helping children make healthy choices about food and nutrition. Halloween, well, you know.

KITK is in its sixth straight year at more than 200 Junior Leagues. Halloween has been around a lot longer.

We won’t tell you again that the average American consumes 25 pounds of candy each year, much of which is consumed by kids (particularly at Halloween!).

We also won’t suggest that you try to keep your kids away from trick-or-treating.

And we won’t ask you to serve KITK-style treats at your Halloween party this year (think Fire Ants & Grass Clippings, Holiday Quesadillas, and Monkey Mix from the Kids in the Kitchen cookbook).

But we will ask you to support your League’s KITK program (or look into starting one, if yours doesn’t have one already).

Because of nutrition’s critical role in health, growth and school performance, Junior Leagues have been at the heart of combating childhood obesity for years.

Inspired by the Junior League of Calgary‘s Junior Chefs program and launched as a League-wide initiative in 2006, Kids in the Kitchen program is a hands-on, kid-friendly initiative supported each year by Junior Leagues in more than 200 communities worldwide. KITK is tailored to meet your community’s specific needs while working to ensure that young people are educated to make healthy decisions and ward off the problems that poor eating habits and obesity create.

That’s a good lesson for all of us – even if we take Halloween as a day off from the program!