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

The first lady participated in the National Zoo’s announcement earlier this year that pandas 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. He has been a teacher for 40 years. Earlier Wednesday, he read a story about spooky pumpkins to a group of costumed children gathered on the lawn.

Later, she and the president ventured outside at dusk and spent about an hour handing out treats. Biden, in a suit and tie, dropped boxes of White House Hershey’s Kisses chocolates into children’s tote bags as the first lady handed out copies of “10 Spooky Pumpkins.”

Up to 8,000 people, including students and children linked to the military, were expected to pass through the doors of the White House 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 who is rarely seen in public, and stacks of books. Giant pumpkin decorations flanked the door.

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