What Pumpkins Are Acceptable?
Please review our guidelines carefully before bringing pumpkins to a drop site.
Find a Drop Site✓ Accepted Pumpkins
Whole, Uncarved Pumpkins
Donated pumpkin *must* be WHOLE and UNCUT. They last longest for sanctuary animals. Any size is welcome — from tiny sugar pumpkins to giant pumpkins - as long as they are not showing any signs of spoiling.
Decorative Gourds and Hard Squash
Most decorative gourds and hard squash varieties are welcome alongside pumpkins. If it grew in a pumpkin patch, there's a good chance the animals will enjoy it!
Any Color, Size, or Variety
Orange, white, green, gray, yellow, striped — all natural pumpkin varieties are accepted. The animals don't care what color they are!
✗ Not Accepted
Soft, Rotted, Cracked, Moldy Pumpkins, or withered
Pumpkins that have begun to rot or show visible mold CANNOT be accepted. Mold is harmful to animals, and rotted pumpkins make a mess at drop sites, creating a lot of extra work for our volunteers. Please check your pumpkins *thoroughly from stem to bottom* for any cracks, holes, soft spots, withering, or mold. When in doubt, leave it out!
Painted or Glittered Pumpkins
Paint, glitter, spray lacquer, and other decorative coatings are toxic to animals. Even "non-toxic" craft paint is not safe for consumption. Pumpkins must be fully natural and uncoated.
Carved Pumpkins
Pumpkins must be WHOLE and uncut.
Pumpkins with Embedded Decorations
Pumpkins with nails, screws, glued-on decorations, or other non-food items embedded in them cannot be accepted. These pose a choking or injury hazard to animals.