Holiday pumpkins recycled – as food for pigs: How Cary woman aims to keep gourds out of landfills

Cary resident Kellie Evensen put out a request on a local Facebook community page for any leftover Halloween pumpkins that her friend’s pigs could eat.

Within a week, she had more than 100 pumpkins.

“I was completely surprised,” she said. “It was crazy.”

Evensen got the idea to help her friend – who has more than 10 pigs and three horses – feed her animals while also minimizing landfill waste. She soon was getting offers of pumpkins from as far as Huntley.

“I couldn’t keep track,” Evensen said. “I got over 50 addresses.”

Evensen plans to continue taking in pumpkin donations throughout the fall. Many people still have un-carved pumpkins for decorations, and the pigs could also eat leftover vegetables from Thanksgiving dinners, she said.

“I hope this raises awareness before you throw away your pumpkin,” Evensen said.

Pumpkins that are tossed in the trash increase methane, which is a greenhouse gas that damages the environment, according to the University of Illinois’s College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences. Environmental experts recommend people to compost their pumpkins or donate them for animals to eat.

Pigs aren’t the only ones that eat pumpkins, Hooved Animal Humane Society operations and development manager Traci Bennett said. Horses and goats also will eat gourds.

The Hooved Animal Humane Society, based in Woodstock, will always take pumpkin and vegetable donations, Executive Director Cynthia Glensgard said, “as long as they are free of any kind of paint or markers or anything that would be toxic to animals.”

The nonprofit houses stray and surrendered hooved animals from horses and pigs to mules and goats.

Pigs also eat many vegetables, including spinach, leafy greens, zucchini and carrots, Bennett said. Vegetables are a crucial part of their diet to stay healthy. Many times, people will donate excess vegetables from their summer garden, Bennett said.

“The pigs really enjoy it. It’s like a puzzle for them to chew around,” she said.

A nationwide nonprofit Pumpkins for Pigs connects people wanting to dispose of their unwanted pumpkins to nearby animal farms and sanctuaries. Hooved Animal Humane Society is on the list.

Evensen wants to create her own #pumpkinsforpigs movement in McHenry County since there are many farm animals that could benefit from the extra pumpkins. Next year, she has a goal to rent trucks and use her vacation time between Halloween and Thanksgiving to dedicate herself to hauling around pumpkin donations.

The overwhelming response Evensen received this year inspired her to push it into something bigger.

“It’s the simple fact of not throwing them in the trash and the simple fact that it’s pure nutrition,” she said.