Oh my gourd! Leftover Regina jack-o-lanterns piled to help feed farm animals

After every Halloween, a mountain of jack-o-lanterns starts to gather at one house in northwest Regina.

For the past four years, Kelly Woloshin has offered up his front lawn for people to drop off their pumpkins to be and donated to feed farm animals.

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“It’s bigger and bigger every year, because a lot of people don’t want to see their pumpkins go to the landfill,” he said. “They want to see them put to good use.”

This year, Woloshin said five trailers of pumpkins were loaded from the lawn and sent out to different farm yards.

“Once the trailer was out there, I (saw) a couple of boys, they’re taking all the smaller pumpkins and doing their basketball shots into the trailer with the pumpkins.” he said with a laugh. “If they get broken up inside the trailer it’s not a big deal, then animals will love them just as much.”

Kelly Woloshin said the first pumpkins were dropped off at 9:45 p.m. on Halloween night this year. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)

Woloshin was first inspired to find a different way to recycle his jack-o-lantern when he learned it had nutrients that are beneficial for animals.

Four years ago, he told parents of trick-or-treaters and made a post on Facebook that he would offer up his lawn to hold the pumpkins for donation.

“It was just a fantastic thing,” Woloshin said. “Tons of people brought their pumpkins, and a lot of animals ate that year.”

At 9:45 p.m. on Halloween night this year, Woloshin said the first people placed pumpkins on his lawn.

Woloshin said the new green bin program didn’t affect how many jack-o-lantern donations he received, each year his front lawn is awash with discarded pumpkins.

From his front window, Woloshin loves to watch as families come to drop off their pumpkins, which has become a hotspot for photos.

“Just for the kids to see that they’re giving back, it’s just a huge benefit that you can’t even fathom,” he said.

Josef Buttigieg, owner of Fenek Farms, is delivering portions of the pumpkin mountain to his hungry farm animals.

Buttigieg described collecting left over jack-o-lanterns as a “triple whammy.”

The pumpkins reduce feed costs for his animals, with nutrients in them acting as a natural dewormer, according to Buttigieg. On top of that, it reduces waste from the landfill, he said.

Buttigieg’s cows, sheep, and alpacas all enjoy the leftover jack-o-lanterns. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)

“The juice is definitely worth the squeeze in this case,” Buttigieg said. “It does help immensely.”

Buttigieg collected from other yards as well, bringing in 15 tonnes of leftover pumpkins so far.

By mid-December, Buttigieg says the animals on the farm will have eaten through all of the tasty Halloween leftovers.

As temperatures drift lower, Buttigieg said he won’t have to worry about storing the jack-o-lanterns in the colder weather.

“Everything gets preserved quite nicely,” he said.

While trick-or-treaters bring in their own loot knocking on doors, Woloshin said it’s nice for the farm animals to have a Halloween treat as well.

“It’s just fantastic, and hopefully every year it’ll keep on growing,” he said.

In 2023, Woloshin had so many pumpkins they spilled onto his driveway. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)