Sweet treats on spooky street: Porter-Starke Services hosts annual Trunk or Treat event at Marram Health Center

Families throughout the Region gathered in the parking lot of Marram Health Center’s University Park Medical Center in Gary for the annual 2026 Porter-Starke Services Trunk or Treat. This event ran from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 24.

Every year, the event brings in attendees in costumes of all genres to browse between decorated and themed trunks. Attendees walked away with their bags jam-packed with candy and smiles on their faces.

Brandon Fisher, outreach coordinator with Marram Health Center, noted that the preparation for this year’s event took a little over a month to assemble. Every year, the goal is to improve the event with each new installation.

“We’re just trying to put a smile on everyone’s faces and support the community,” Fisher said. “We have candy, we have resources, and the kids just love to be here. It gets better and better every year.”

According to Fisher, last year’s event brought in more than 250 kids. The turnout was even more impressive this year. More than a dozen vendors and trunks distributing candy arrived an hour early to decorate their trunks with pumpkins, spiders, skeletons, balloons, tombstones, ghosts, and monsters. One trunk was even themed around the characters from “Toy Story.”

“For about three hours, we’re here for the kids. Seeing them come in here, run around, take pictures – that’s really important to us. It’s always about how we can give back to the community and make sure they leave with a great experience,” Fisher said.

One of Fisher’s favorite parts of this event is seeing how creative the attendees get with their costumes. Iconic characters such as Shrek, Princess Peach from the “Super Mario” franchise, Shadow from “Sonic The Hedgehog”, “Chucky”, Freddy Fazbear from “Five Nights at Freddy’s”, and characters from other franchises such as “Avatar” and the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.

Superheroes such as Batman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man also made an appearance. Other notable costumes included a cheerleader, vampires, and zombies – one of which was themed after Stephen Curry.

Dr. Kamaljeet Girm, medical director at Marram Health Center, described this event as a great opportunity not only for families to get into the Halloween spirit a little early, but also to learn about the Marram Health Center and other partners in attendance.

“We’re looking to bring these events together more often. Some people might not always be aware of their personal health, or about the services that we are here to provide for them,” Girm said. “This is our target to make sure they know that we are actually serving that purpose.”

The high energy permeated from one side of the event to the other. Girm hopes that this momentum can continue for many years to come with the trunk or treat, along with future seasonal events.

“In humanity, there are many different ways to connect with people. With people of all walks and different cultures or ages, there are still common themes for enjoyment,” Girm said. “Everybody has different interests, and some of those are for different seasons, such as Halloween or the fall season. It’s important for us to be aware of the vast interests that people have.”

Other organizations that participated in this year’s event included UnitedHealthcare, Geminus, Young Ladies with a Purpose, Managed Health Services, Chase Bank, Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, Gary Literacy Coalition, The Aliveness Project, and the Gary Fire Department.

To learn more about Porter-Starke Services, you can visit porterstarke.org.