ABOVE: Some of the candy Steve and Jean Fisher plan to distribute on Halloween.

SWEA CITY- Steve and Jean Fisher of Swea City, Iowa will be giving out gallon bags of candy today. Steve said it took the two of them three hours to pack all the candy into 150 gallon-sized bags.

The Fishers had previously given out similar amounts of candy, the last instance of which was approximately 20 years ago. Both of the Fishers have recently retired. During previous years Steve Fisher was kept away from home working as a semi-truck driver and moving heavy equipment between construction sites.

Steve said one of the main reasons they decided to give out the candy was a response to Jean’s inability to go trick-or-treating when she was growing up in foster homes in New York State.

“She never got to go trick-or-treating when she was a little kid, and when I grew up you were lucky to get one fun-sized candy bar or even an apple,” said Steve.

The couple also said giving out this candy is a way for them to give back to the community.

“You gotta see their eyes when they see that big bag of candy, they grab it and it falls to the ground because they can’t hold it,” said Steve.

When filling each bag the couple said they start with a can of pop and a full size candy bar then fill it with an assortment of candy and snacks until they become difficult to reseal. Steve said he estimates each bag weighs several pounds.

Along with distributing the 150 bags the Fishers will also be awarding an additional jar of candy to four trick-or-treaters who win their drawing. Only trick-or-treaters ages 4 through 12 can participate in the drawing.

The couple plans to distribute the candy at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Swea City from 5 to 6:30 p.m. In the event of inclement weather the couple will be distributing candy at their home located a few blocks south of the high school. According to the Fishers, Swea City sees approximately 40 trick-or-treaters every year and they’ve planned to receive visitors from out of town. They hope to distribute all of the candy they have before the end of the night.

“We don’t want to have a lot of candy leftover because I don’t want to be eating it because I don’t need it,” said Steve.