Starting Grounds Church hosts its second annual trunk or treat event

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The Starting Grounds Church in Battle Ground celebrated Halloween in a stylish way, as they hosted their second annual trunk or treat event on Oct. 31 where members of the church congregation and other volunteers decorated the trunk of their vehicles and offered candy. 

Lenci Larranaga, the children’s ministry director at Starting Grounds, came up with the idea as a fun alternative to get the community involved during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“In the staff meetings at our church, we were discussing how we could offer something for the community to do since everyone is so hungry for something (on Halloween,)” Larranaga said. “By the time Halloween rolled around in 2020, it had been a long set of months with everything being closed or canceled, so we thought this would be a great COVID-friendly way to still interact with our community and enjoy the holiday.”

Larranaga said the previous event in 2020 had a great turnout, so they felt compelled to host it again this year. Last year there were about 15 cars and between 500 to 600 people attended, while this year, about 25 cars registered for the event. 

Some people handed out items other than candy to the families who came dressed up to the event. 



Alicia George was one of those people. George’s trunk sported a teal pumpkin, which was used to signal food allergies. 

“We’re giving out non-food treats to those who have food allergies and aren’t able to eat candy,” she said. “We do it so everybody has something to enjoy, even for those who aren’t allergic to stuff.”

Cars were spaced out in the parking lot with an empty space between each one to allow for social distancing. Along with treats, there were games like ring toss, cornhole and a photo booth. Attendees also enjoyed hot apple cider, which was served by the church. 

“We’ve got a really sweet church congregation that are super excited to join in and partner with us,” Larranaga said. “They donated a mountain of candy to help keep everyone’s trunks full and we’re all really excited.”