Michigan Teen Gives Away Free Halloween Costumes

A 16-year-old Michigan teen is spreading Halloween cheer by giving away hundreds of free costumes each year to children from families in need. What started in 2020 as a small act of kindness has grown into a beloved community tradition.

Michigan Teen's Halloween Costume Giveaway is a Hit With Michigan Families

Neia Handy tells WLNS-TV that the annual giveaway is something she works on throughout the year — and she’s grateful for the help.

“It’s kind of like a year-round effort. I mean, generally I still have some left over after the costume giveaway, and then we’ll go to places like Meijer, Target, and sometimes Walmart too. We find on-sale costumes after Halloween’s over, and then we’ll go to garage sales too. Sometimes people donate them as well.”

Kids’ Joy Keeps Her Going

This year, Handy collected more than 600 costumes to give to local children. She says many of the families are deeply appreciative of her efforts.

“They’re always very thankful. And then my favorite is the little kids — they’re all happy because they just found a new costume, especially if they found the one they wanted. That’s the best.”

After Halloween, Handy plans to host a collection drive to help seed next year’s giveaway. You can contribute gently used costumes through the teen’s Facebook page.

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