BATON ROUGE — Hundreds of local families gathered at Ben Burge Park as the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office hosted its 18th annual "Trick or Treat with EBRSO" community Halloween celebration.

Attendees enjoyed an evening filled with games, music and plenty of candy, but deputies emphasized that the event was about more than just holiday fun. The gathering was also designed to connect residents with essential local resources and service providers.

"We're trying to bring some vendors that we think might be helpful to this community," said EBRSO Captain Chad Parker. "To bring them different ideas, to bring them new information... so they're not only coming for a good time, but leave with some information."

Sheriff's office officials noted that this Halloween event is just the beginning of their seasonal outreach, with multiple community events already in the works for the upcoming winter holidays.