Just in time for Halloween, the Riverview Park Community Association (RPCA) is happy to announce that it is hosting two pumpkin collection sites: at 617 Bathurst Avenue and at 909 Hamlet Road, in partnership with the Ottawa South Eco-action Network’s Pumpkins for the Planet program! In the days following Halloween, RPCA volunteers will join OSEAN volunteers and other community associations to collect carved and intact pumpkins in Ottawa South and connect them with local farms and kitchens. In doing so, we all help to combat food insecurity while diverting pumpkins from the City compost facility and the landfill.
Pumpkins can be dropped off at our local sites on November 1 and 2, but these collections sites will close at 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 2. Please remove all decorations and non-edible additions before donating pumpkins. Things like toothpicks, candles, melted wax, tea lights, staples/pins/paperclips/pipe cleaners, plastic glitter are dangerous for people, animals and equipment. Donated pumpkins should only have edible decorations, and paint used should be washable.
The Alta Vista Community Association is hosting five sites for people to drop off pumpkin donations this year, including one on Sunday morning at their Kids’ Halloween Party in Alta Vista Park. All the pumpkins are gathered at Pumpkin Alley in Ernie Calcutt Park near Mooney’s Bay before they make their way to farms and food centres. You can join the Riverside Park Community Association, Brookfield Community Cupboard and OSEAN there for Pumpkinfest from 1:00-3:30 on Sunday, November 2. Find out more, including an updated map of all sites on OSEAN’s website.