Derry Township couple hopes to expand annual free pumpkin patch for kids

Carter Bollinger and his younger sister, Saddie, don’t see eye-to-eye on what makes a perfect pumpkin.

“It’s the size of it,” said 6-year-old Saddie. Her brother, who is 9, begged to differ: “It’s the color of it.”

In the end, the pair and two of their Derry Township siblings — Mia, 6, and Mackenzie, 5, all picked hefty pumpkins this weekend that required a good grip.

They selected them at an annual giveaway of the orange or green gourds offered by couple Cory and Anna Stile at their home on Derry Township’s Uschak Road.

Now in its fifth year, the first-come, first-served giveaway for area youngsters is set to conclude Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. — depending on when the roughly 750 pumpkins have all been claimed.

According to Cory Stile, the fun event got its start when he asked his wife, “Why don’t we do something to focus toward kids? She came up with pumpkins, and we decided to go from there.”

The event grew from the couple’s desire to spread goodwill to their neighbors, including customers of Cory Stiles’ tree service and hauling business.

“It’s kind of our way of giving back to the community,” he said. “As long as the kids enjoy it, that’s all we want to do.”

“I like watching the kids run around, seeing the smiles on their faces and meeting all the parents,” said Anna Stile, who works as a nursing assistant.

This was the second year for the Bollinger family to take part in the pumpkin event and the first for 4-month-old Colt, who took in his siblings’ efforts while suspended from mom Regina’s shoulders.

“They love picking pumpkins,” she said “They each tried a couple before they made their minds up.”

Carter selected a pumpkin for his baby brother that’s nearly as big as the infant.

“We’re putting him inside of it,” the older boy declared.

Susan Kuncher of Blairsville was a first-time attendee, along with her grandchildren, Lucian, 10, and Georgia Duncan, 5.

“This is a lot more fun than going to the store and buying pumpkins,” she said. “They like to paint them and carve them.”

Anna Stile decorated bales of hay on the family’s front porch to serve as a backdrop for the adults to snap photos of their kids.

The younger of the Stiles’ two children, 6-year-old Natalie, did her part to keep things lively — greeting and socializing with the arriving kids. She complimented Georgia on her spider ring, and the two played tag between the rows of pumpkins.

The Stiles bought the pumpkins from two area farmers and stocked up on snack-size treats and juice bottles for the young participants. A Greensburg pizza shop donated slices for the kids to enjoy.

Even with a discount provided on the pumpkin order, holding the annual event isn’t cheap for the Stiles. Still, Cory said, he’s hoping to expand his giveaway patch to a thousand or more pumpkins next year.

“It adds up, but it’s worth it,” he said. “We don’t really worry about it.”

The Stiles haven’t skipped a year of giving out pumpkins — even last year, when they still were recovering from a Dec. 6, 2022 fire that destroyed their previous house.

“We’re not giver-uppers,” Cory said.

Everyone made it out of the burning home safely, including son Michael, now 17, and two pet dogs. The family remains thankful for the quick arrival of first responders and the support they received from the community in the aftermath.

“A lot of the community rallied around us and helped us with all kinds of things,” Cory Stile said. “They brought us clothes, shampoo and toothbrushes, because everything was a loss.”

A GoFundMe campaign started by a family friend raised nearly $19,000 for the Stiles as they sheltered temporarily with Cory’s mother, demolished their damaged home and built a new one in its place.

“We definitely had a lot of people reaching out to us,” he said. “It was just amazing how much they all chipped in.”

The Stiles moved in to their new house in March.

After their pumpkins also have found new homes, Cory said, “We can start settling in and start getting ready for Thanksgiving.”

Families can visit Anna Stile’s Facebook page to check on the progress of the pumpkin giveaway and learn when it is concluded.