RDAU_10-11_Oct_Nov Issue

Halloween’s Costumer always loved Halloween,” he says. That night, he noticed a disparity in costumes. Some children arrived in brand-new Star Wars attire, while others were not as well outfitted. “You just know they don’t have access to the same things,” Waggoner says. “I was looking at kids that were looking at other kids. They were just wishing and admiring.” At the time, Waggoner was working as a mystery shopper, visiting stores as a research customer. He started to use his work shopping trips as an opportunity to buy Halloween cos- tumes. “I just made it a point that all my purchases would be Halloween stuff,” he says. He also began stopping by second- hand stores in search of costumes C hristophe Waggoner has what he calls a shopping problem. Not for himself, though. All year long, he scours Texas thrift stores for children’s Halloween costumes. “I’m looking for anything shiny, sparkly or furry,” he says. “I’m always keeping an eye out.” For the past nine years, Waggoner has collected thousands of Halloween costumes. And every fall, he hosts an event in Austin where children can pick out Halloween costumes for free. The annual giveaway, which Wag- goner named October’s Child, began in 2017. A year earlier, he had moved from an apartment into a house—his first time having trick-or-treaters at the door. “I was so excited that I was going to have trick-or-treaters, because I’ve BY Sydney Page from the washington post There’s nothing scary about the man who makes sure trick-or-treaters are properly dressed readersdigest.com.au 27 photography by Jason Risner Photography EVERYDAY HEROES