KINGSTON TOWNSHIP -- For many, the Christmas decorations are going up and the signs of fall are getting packed up or thrown away. That includes all those pumpkins from Halloween and Thanksgiving.
The remnants of a happy Halloween and a happy Thanksgiving now surround the farmhouse at the Lands at Hillside Farms in Luzerne County.
The educational farm and dairy near Shavertown put out a call for old pumpkins and certainly got them.
We've had thousands of pumpkins. We're surrounded by about one-tenth of the pumpkins that we've received," said Chet Mozloom.
Farm staff took video of some happy pigs feasting on those recycled gourds. It's one of the ways the pumpkins are used at the farm.
A popular pet on the farm, Otis the pig, gets some too, along with many other animals.
"We do have 500, 600 chickens as well. You just have to break them for them. But the response is awesome. I never knew that many people cared," Mozloom said.
Halloween and Thanksgiving may just be a memory for you. It is Christmastime now and these are certainly a gift for the pigs and chickens here, which will be enjoying this for months.
"Even the ones that go past the point that they can be eaten, we'll compost them and they'll regrow next year and they'll be forage next year," Mozloom explained.
And there is another spot to donate pumpkins. Along Main Street in Dupont, there's a cart full of them and a sign asking for more.
"I start this usually every year right around Thanksgiving because people are cleaning up their Halloween and orange out of the way and are starting to decorate for Christmas," said Joe Cichocki.
He takes the best ones to a friend's farm for the animals there. Others go into the woods for deer and wildlife. The painted and rotted ones become compost.
"I've been doing this for a few years now and get a great response every year. Nothing goes to waste. It keeps it out of the landfill and people know I'm here every year, and it keeps on getting bigger and bigger every year," said Cichocki.
His cart will be there until the end of next week.
