What’s Halloween without brightly colored orange UNICEF boxes? It feels like they’ve been around forever, and that’s because they kinda have — for a little more than a half of a century, that is. Next weekend will be the 60th year children have toted boxes along with their candy bags to help raise money for those in need.
It all started in 1950 when Mary Emma Allison saw a banner at a UNICEF parade in Philadelphia that said one cent will buy 20 glasses of milk. She came up with the idea to take empty milk cartons, put an orange band around them and and use them to collect money during Halloween for UNICEF. To combine a post World War II story with modern technology in light of its anniversary, UNICEF is launching a iPhone app to make this year’s fundraising even easier.
Since the program’s inception, UNICEF has raised $160 million dollars with the help of young costumed kids and their generous neighbors. The funds go towards children’s immunization, health care, nutrition and education in more than 150 countries.
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Photo via Facebook.