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With half a million pieces of candy ready for distribution, Blount Family Ministries is set to make its second annual Trunks & Treats Halloween event a true one-stop destination for sweet treats.

Trunks & Treats will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31 -- Halloween -- at New Midland Plaza in Alcoa, and organizers said they have been holding candy drives at participating churches to make sure they don't run out of Snickers and gummy bears and Tootsie pops. Blount Family Ministries hosted this event last year and estimated 5,000 people attended. They are hoping for even higher numbers this year.

Wil Davenport, children's pastor at Fairview United Methodist Church, said he and the others in BFM want to provide a safe and convenient place for children and their families to celebrate Halloween. There is no cost to attend, and the food and games will be free as well.

Changes

There are changes this year, mainly in how the lines for getting candy will be organized. Davenport said there will be four lines, hopefully cutting down on the wait time.

Carlene Talley of Monte Vista Baptist Church will also be part of the Trunk & Treats night of fun. As a member of BFM, she said the group is always looking for ways to make an impact on the community.

"This was an idea that we came up with last year and there was a great response," she said.

Volunteers

There will be several volunteers there on Halloween to hand out candy from the trunks of about 100 vehicles, Davenport and Talley said. Fairview will probably have over 30 of its members there to make sure everyone has a great time.

Jane Hill, the children's minister at Beech Grove Baptist, has been a member of BFM since its inception, and so has Talley. Hill said the organization is comprised of Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and other denominations who are interested in supporting each other and hosting events like this one for families. Also participating this year are Connie Sager and Dawn Herring, representing First Baptist Church of Maryville.

Sager moved to Maryville three years ago and served as a volunteer at Trunks & Treats last year before becoming children's minister at First Baptist. She said it was great to see everyone work together on such a huge project.

"Last year was the first time I saw churches coming together in such a capacity," she said. "I thought it was an awesome thing to see people from all around Blount County coming together to have fun and to hang out together."

In addition to this annual event, BFM also hosts a parenting workshop each spring, at the Blount County Public Library. The group meets at least once per month.

Halloween is just one week away, and these Trunk & Treat organizers are doing all they can to get the word out in the community. Come Oct. 31, it will be all about the candy.