CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Halloween night, Hawksnest and Eagles Nest are where much of Padre Island goes to trick-or-treat. For the neighbors handing out candy, keeping up with the crowds isn’t easy — or cheap.
That’s where Ben Tortorello comes in.
Tortorello, owner of Island Tire Automotive, started collecting candy donations last year for the families who live on the two streets. Every pound that comes in, he matches. As of Monday, the pile had topped 400 pounds.
“Every year we walk down, and it’s just, it’s crazy, and it’s just mind-blowing, all the people and all the effort that the neighbors go through,” Tortorello said.
Tortorello said the idea came from seeing neighbors ask each year where they could drop off candy. His shop gives people one central spot where donations won’t melt outside or go missing.
Tonya Colbert has lived on Eagles Nest since 2020. She said she didn’t know she was buying a house on one of the island’s biggest Halloween streets until she moved in.
“So now we know from trial and error that we open at 5:30, and then typically about 8:30 we run out of candy,” Colbert said.
Rising prices aren’t helping. Nationally, a 100-piece bag of Halloween candy now averages about $17, up more than 70 percent since 2021, according to FinanceBuzz. Tortorello said he has bought about 250 pounds of candy himself.
“In my mind we can’t let the price of candy affect kids out there having a good time,” he said.
Everyone who donates is entered into a raffle for prizes including a Yeti cooler, a wine bag with a bottle of wine, and gift cards to local island restaurants and Island Tire Automotive.
Starting Thursday, the candy will be divided and delivered to the 20 homes that have signed up so far.
“It shows me that people really do care about the kids, and it is all about the kids at the end of the day,” Colbert said.
How to help: Neighbors on Hawksnest or Eagles Nest who want candy, or anyone who wants to donate, can reach Island Tire Automotive by calling the shop or messaging its Facebook page before deliveries begin Thursday.
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