A Muscatine costume drive grows from 30 outfits to nearly 700

United Way Muscatine County, local partners, and community leader Amber Gregory gave away nearly 700 Halloween costumes to 145 children in 45 families. The drive is in its second year. The first year produced 30 outfits. Support from local companies and Walmart is what scaled it. Gregory said a free costume takes a bill off a household so a child is not left out of Halloween.

United Way president Shane Orr said he used to assume teenagers skipped costumes because they did not want one. He now thinks many families simply could not buy one. The giveaway sits on the United Way's finding that only 36 percent of Muscatine residents earn enough to cover basic expenses comfortably. The costumes do not change that math. They cover one seasonal cost.