Some of you might remember the Sunshine and Service blogger pool bash I hosted over the summer. It was benefiting Placer Food Bank and was a chance for some Sacramento-area bloggers to get together. Smart & Final was our generous title sponsor for the event and it wouldn’t have been as successful without them! So, I was pretty excited and honored when Smart & Final asked me if I’d be willing to help coordinate another charitable event for them. This Halloween party fundraising event was in collaboration with Smart & Final benefiting City of Hope.

a service Halloween party for City of Hope

City of Hope is a leading non-profit in the medical research field with locations all across southern California. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is one of the nation’s best cancer hospitals, but they also provide research in diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. Smart & Final is partnering with them this fall season to do some good.

scares & service Halloween party

When Smart & Final pitched me the idea of this Halloween party to help raise funds and awareness for City of Hope I was sold. A Halloween party with some friends sounded like a fun idea the whole family would love! The fact that we would be doing some good in the process was just the cherry on top.

the food for our spooky soiree

Of course all of our food was from Smart & Final. They really are a one-stop shop when it comes to planning your weeknight meal or next event! I had originally planned a simple menu, but after discussing it with my husband somehow the menu grew quite a bit!

We ended up with appetizers, a main course, and obviously lots of desserts! Smart & Final made it so easy to plan the food not only because of their selection in store, but also because they were having some great sales! We picked up grapes for 99 cents a pound. I also grabbed a veggie tray and some chips and dips.

Our main course was salad, rolls, chopped brisket, and pulled barbecued chicken. We’re always impressed by the quality of meat at Smart & Final and the brisket especially turned out so good when my husband smoked it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of pictures of the food set up. However, I did get this shot of the dessert platter I pulled together with cookies and candies from Smart & Final. We also had plenty of brownies and cupcakes form their bakery section that were all ready to go. Having prepackaged and prepared food makes party planning so much easier!

having fun at our Halloween party

I wanted some easy carnival type games and crafts that kids could do without much supervision since I wanted adults to be free to chat and mingle. I spray painted some cans and asked my dad to make some cornhole boards. Then I ordered some rings and bean bags from Amazon and set up some simple games on the back deck.

For crafts I picked up about two dozen pumpkins from Smart & Final and ordered some felt superhero masks from Amazon. Kids could decorate with paint and rhinestones and, although it was a lot of fun, it did end up being a bit of a mess. I might slightly rethink the best way to do the crafts next time around.

incredible balloon art

Lastly, I contacted my friend Stephanie who owns Dynamic Faces. I had seen her work before and asked if she might be available to donate some of her time and talents for our event. She showed up and did some incredible balloon art for the kiddos! She stayed pretty much the whole time and made sure every child left happy with a balloon creation of their own. Everyone at the party agreed that she was the most talented balloon artist they’d ever seen!

sponsors for our “Scares & Service” activity

Smart & Final was our generous title sponsor and this party literally would not have happened without them. To help raise some funds for City of Hope I planned a small silent auction. I reached out to a few companies to help make it a reality.

Disney on Ice was the first company I reached out to. Our family was able to attend a show back in February and our family loves their incredible shows! They generously donated a family 4 pack of tickets to opening night of the show. This donation was a big hit at our Halloween party!

I also reached out to Little Adventures Dress Ups. Our family loves their fun and comfortable dress up clothes and the fact that they’re machine-washable is every mother’s dream! They donated a $50 credit to their store and sent outfits for my girls to wear to the party. I also ended up buying a costume from their adult line. As always, I was very impressed with how well it fit and how comfortable it was!

My friend Nicole works with a company called Rod Works that has the most beautiful home decor pieces. I asked Nicole if she thought Rod Works might be willing to donate some things. Nicole and Rod Works delivered big time with a big bundle of home decor to be bid on.

I also put together a bag of Halloween fun from Smart & Final. A reusable store bag, a HUGE bag of Halloween candy, a pumpkin and carving set, and a $20 gift card made for the perfect silent auction item for a Halloween party.

Have you been to a Halloween party lately?