More than a dozen Southern California schools and nonprofits are set to bring children to Hollywood this Sunday for a Halloween celebration, where organizers still need volunteers to staff two dozen trick-or-treat tents, run carnival games, and hand out candy. The 17th Annual Spooky Sunday, hosted by the nonprofit Big Sunday, runs from noon to 2 p.m. on October 25 at 1741 N. Cherokee Avenue in Los Angeles, and is designed to give underserved children and families across Southern California a chance to enjoy trick-or-treating and other Halloween festivities.
According to NBC Los Angeles, volunteers will help run 24 separate trick-or-treat tents at the event, handing out candy and running activities. Organizers are also collecting unopened candy donations, which can be dropped off at the Cherokee Avenue headquarters this Friday, October 23, from 10 a.m. to noon. Big Sunday identifies the Hollywood storefront as its headquarters, according to Big Sunday.
Beyond candy and games, the report notes the event will feature a mystical magic show, the Creepy Crawlers animal show, music, a bounce house, face painting, and a costume parade at 1 p.m. Children attending through participating nonprofits received costumes well in advance of the event, donated by the costume company Disguise, giving kids a chance to try them on before Sunday arrives.
A Safety Net Comes Together for One Afternoon
The organizations bringing children to Spooky Sunday double as some of the backbone of Los Angeles's homeless and family services network. Union Rescue Mission, PATH, Exceptional Children's Foundation, and Alexandria House are among the groups described in the NBC Los Angeles report as both helping run the event and being served by it.
Union Rescue Mission operates the Angeles House Family Center, a 75,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles capable of housing up to 86 unhoused families with children, according to Union Rescue Mission. PATH, short for People Assisting The Homeless, was established in 1984 and delivers interim housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing services across California, per ProPublica. Alexandria House, founded in 1996 as a transitional residence for women and children moving from emergency shelters toward permanent housing, maintains a 92% long-term housing stability rate for the families it serves, according to Alexandria House.
That network of services matters because family homelessness remains a persistent reality in the region. Community service providers in Los Angeles County report that more than 3,500 families and 6,200 children have experienced homelessness, according to regional count figures compiled by local housing agencies and cited by Door of Hope.
From a Single Temple Project to a Regional Nonprofit
Big Sunday's roots trace back to 1999, when it began as a single-day “Mitzvah Day” at Temple Israel of Hollywood, drawing roughly 200 volunteers to assist 19 nonprofits. The organization incorporated as a secular, year-round 501(c)(3) in 2008, according to the Larchmont Chronicle. It now organizes or supports roughly 2,000 community service events and giving opportunities each year across Southern California, run by 13 full-time staff alongside thousands of volunteers.
Spooky Sunday is just one piece of that calendar. The same report notes Big Sunday also provides Thanksgiving meals to approximately 18,000 Los Angeles residents annually and maintains emergency relief funds to help local families in financial crisis.
A Halloween Celebration for Local Families
Volunteers interested in helping hand out candy, run carnival games, or assist with the day's other activities can sign up directly with Big Sunday ahead of Sunday's event.
