ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — An Oro Valley couple, Jenny and Keith Stewart, have been turning their passion for Halloween into a force for good, using their elaborate haunted house attraction to raise money for local charities during a time when many Tucsonans are struggling with food insecurity.
The Stewarts' have been operating the Tomb Town Terror Trail for 25 years, transforming their property into a spine-chilling experience that draws hundreds of visitors each night. But for the Stewarts', the attraction is about more than just scares.
"My husband is very into Halloween and I decided since he's gonna do this anyway, I'm like, I wanted to give back to the community," Jenny said.
Tomb Town operates on a simple model: visitors pay just $1 to enter, and all proceeds go to people and animals in need. This year, money collected on Thursday and Friday night goes to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, while Saturday night's proceeds support the Tucson Action Team Advocacy for Dogs spay and neuter fund.
The timing couldn't be more crucial for food assistance programs, as many people could lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits November 1 due to the government shutdown.
"I don't want people to go hungry. It's especially really needed right now with situations that's going on," Jenny said.
Visitors like David Samorano, who came with his family, were eager to contribute more than the minimum donation.
"There's families that are struggling and that's a continuous effort. I know the food bank does a really good job with helping folks and we want to do our part in that," Samorano said.
The Stewarts' charitable efforts have made a significant impact over the years. Last year, about $4,000 was raised for the food bank and since 2009, they have raised $44,000 for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona alone.
Jenny says they used to collect cans, but it turned out to be way more than expected.
"We started out actually in 2002 with a canned food drive and we did that until 2008. We got up to a ton and a half of food and the food bank asked us, well you can ask for a dollar generation and see how that goes," Jenny elaborated.
2024 is when they started to also give to the Tucson Action Team Advocacy for Dogs, another cause near and dear to Jenny's heart. She says about $1,000 was raised last year.
"Because there's so many dogs, it's overpopulation. They have only been a 501(c)(3) for a little over a year and they already spayed and neutered about 500 dogs," Jenny said. "It's a lot for a new 501(c)(3) to do cause it's expensive. So we've got to raise money to help keep the dogs from ending up in the shelter."
The Terror Trail itself is an impressive production featuring live actors, 10 animatronics, and 25 life-sized dummies strategically placed throughout the course to maximize scares.
"My husband builds this from scratch each year and we start setting up in August," Jenny said.
The attraction draws between 800 and 1,000 visitors each night it operates.
The Tomb Town Terror Trail located at 8343 N. Wanda Rd is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday Nov. 1, offering the community a chance to experience Halloween excitement all while supporting good causes.
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