WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and his wife Jillwho dressed up as a giant panda, hosted trick-or-treaters on the South Lawn of the White House for the last time on Wednesday.

The first lady had attended the National Zoo announcement earlier this year, the panda would return to Washington. They arrived in the nation’s capital in mid-October, and Jill Biden donned the panda suit on Wednesday as a “gesture of welcome,” the White House said.

Jill Biden added an educational theme to the event and called it “Hallo-Read” to help encourage reading. She was teacher for 40 years. Earlier Wednesday, she read a story about scary pumpkins to a group of costumed children gathered on the lawn.

She and the president later ventured outside at sunset and spent about an hour passing out goodies. Biden, in a suit and tie, dropped boxes of White House Hershey’s Kisses into children’s tote bags while the first lady handed out copies of “10 Scary Pumpkins.”

Up to 8,000 people, including students and military-related children, were expected to pass through the White House gates during the day.

A large orange moon and a sign reading “Hallow-Read at the White House” decorated the south face of the executive mansion. Decorations also included cardboard representations of Willow, the family cat which is rarely seen in public and stacks of books. Huge pumpkin decorations flanked the door.

Biden he dropped his re-election bid in July. He leaves office in January.