MANSFIELD — Doris Windham Pickett calls herself “the kid lady.”
Pickett often has relatives and neighbor kids at her house, where she bakes cookies and kisses booboos.
On Tuesday, Pickett and her family gathered at North Lake Park to throw a free Halloween party for the neighborhood.
Pickett said she collected donations from the community and put on the event in an effort to keep kids safe.
“I would hate for a kid to go to somebody’s house and they get a gummy or somebody do something just drastic,” she said. “This is the best way to keep kids safe. Parents can sit, they can monitor their kids if they want.”
Pickett and her daughter transformed the park building with spooky decorations, backdrops and a fog machine. Guests had their choice of hot dogs, chips and cookies, as well as bowls of candy at each table.
As the night went on, children enjoyed games and dancing to Halloween tunes like “Monster Mash.”
Pickett’s nephew, Vanness Oliver, helped set up the tables before families arrived.
Oliver said it’s common for his aunt to do things for neighborhood kids, even if it requires spending her own money.
“She real cool. She done did all this for the kids,” he said. “She go out of her way to make sure the kids have a fun environment.”
Joetta McCruter-Polk, a retired employee of Richland County Children’s Services, said it’s important to support efforts to protect kids.
“(Pickett) pulled neighbors from the north end to come together and contribute, donate and make this happen for our kids,” McCruter-Polk said.
“I remember the time when we could go to different neighbors’ houses and they would give you popcorn balls and fresh-baked cookies and your parents would allow you to eat them because they knew where it was coming from. Today you can’t do that.”