BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Kids in Susquehanna County didn't have to wait until dark to go trick or treating, Instead, students spent the morning making this Halloween a little less lonely.
It was a very happy Halloween morning for both students in Susquehanna County and residents at Gracious Living Estates in Bridgewater Township.
"I really enjoyed that. I love those kids. I have five kids of my own," said Jean Harris, a resident of Gracious Living Estates.
Before trick or treating at night, first graders from the Elk Lake School District and kindergartners and first graders from the Montrose Area School District stopped by the assisted living facility near Montrose for some morning trick or treat fun.
"You get all the candy. You have fun, and you meet different people," said Elk Lake first grader Alivia Lutz.
Employees say holidays can be quiet sometimes, so they came up with the idea to do this.
"It's a really fabulous opportunity for those who don't get to go home or they may have grandchildren who live in other states, and they don't get to see them on Halloween, so this still gives them a chance to still be part of the community and still get to partake in the fun," said activities director Sunny Griffiths.
"We're here to make them happy, and I think the best way to do that is to be happy with them," said Shirley Phillips.
It was more than just double the trick or treating and double the candy. Teachers think it is actually a valuable lesson for the kids to spend time with residents at Gracious Living.
"I think a lot of them talk about their grandparents a lot, so they can make a great connection with the people that are here. I'm hoping that maybe we can get here again to do some Christmas caroling, so I think that will spark some good conversations in the classroom," said Elk Lake teacher Maggie Caine.
If you were wondering just how much it takes to fill the bags of 200 kindergartners and first graders, organizers say they were prepared with about 17,000 pieces of candy.