Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins Joined the Matthew Wallace Foundation to Help Over 1,000 Children Celebrate Halloween Safely

(Yonkers, NY) – Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins joined the Matthew Wallace Foundation to give out candy to more than 1,000 children who otherwise may have not been able to trick-or-treat this year due to COVID-19.

On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins had a special table at the trunk-or-treat event outside the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers. The Majority Leader's table was decorated with cobwebs and bats where each trick-or-treater could take candy and a coloring book safely. The Leader gave out more than 55 pounds of candy to the event, and members of her Youth Advisory Council (YAC) volunteered their time to give out 800 coloring books to children.

“We have all been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for children, it’s been especially hard,” said Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “Halloween is a holiday so many children look forward to every year. This was our way of ensuring they could have fun safely, dress up, and collect candy. I thank the Matthew Wallace Foundation for organizing this event and the lawmakers and businesses who participated to make this day about the kids.”

"We wanted children to have a chance to celebrate Halloween and to be able to do it safely," said Jeni Wallace, Executive Director of The Matthew Wallace Foundation. "COVID-19 has changed a lot of things, but The Matthew Wallace Foundation is here for the community and has been responding to this pandemic to support those in need. We thank partners like Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins who are working day in and day out to ease the new burdens COVID-19 has placed on children and families." 

The Matthew Wallace Foundation set up the trunk-or-treat event. Children who attended were able to safely scoop up candy from the trunks of parked vehicles decorated for Halloween. Many area lawmakers and small businesses provided the vehicles. Families arrived by appointment to ensure social distancing was adhered to and masks and hand sanitizer were required upon entry.