One program, run every spring since 2016
The Easter Basket Program
Five age groups, a quality control checklist, and 670 baskets out the door in a single season.
Every basket is sorted into one of the five age groups before it's wrapped
1 to 3
4 to 6
7 to 9
10 to 12
Teens
Our team spent 10 years refining this list.
What actually goes in a basket
More than candy. These go to kids in shelters, foster care and food pantry programs, so we fill them with things a family might otherwise have to buy.
In almost every basket, most years. We look for a dental office or a bulk donor who can cover it.
Basic and useful. Included whenever a donor can cover them in bulk.
Granola bars, Goldfish, anything that holds up in a backpack.
Soap, wipes, the everyday things a tight budget skips.
Because it is still an Easter basket, and it should feel like one.
New, and matched to the age group. A notebook, coloring book or activity book counts, with crayons or a pencil so it can be used right away. Reading and drawing should not be the first thing a stretched household gives up.
A season, start to finish
Easter moves every year, so the calendar shifts with it. The shape stays the same.
Collection opens
Fundraising begins, the Amazon wishlist goes live, and businesses are approached about in-kind donations and bulk product.
Everything arrives
Deliveries pile up. Sorting begins. Gaps in the list get chased down.
Packing
Volunteers sort by age group, fill, check against the quality control list, wrap and load.
Delivery runs
Baskets go out in bulk to partner organizations, who hand them to the children in their programs.
The count
Final totals go out to everyone who helped, along with photos from the season.
Beyond Easter
Easter baskets are the main program, but not the only thing we have done. One year we ran a household goods drive for Turning Point in Macomb County.
As capacity grows there is room for more of that kind of work. If your organization has a need that a group of committed volunteers could fill, we want to hear about it.
Businesses: pack your own
Companies can sponsor a batch of baskets, donate product in-kind, or host their own basket assembly event as a team-building day. We bring the supplies and the checklist.
Sponsor a batch
Fund a set number of baskets
In-kind product
Bulk goods, socks, hygiene items
Host an event
Your team assembles on site
Beyond Easter
Easter baskets are the main program, but not the only thing we have done. In 2020, when COVID made a basket season impossible, we ran a household goods drive instead. It stocked 10 transitional housing units for Turning Point in Macomb County with essentials, from kitchenware to cleaning supplies.
As capacity grows there is room for more of that kind of work. If your organization has a need that a group of committed volunteers could fill, we want to hear about it.
Businesses: pack your own
Companies can sponsor a batch of baskets, donate product in-kind, or host their own basket assembly event as a team-building day. We bring the supplies and the checklist.
Sponsor a batch
Fund a set number of baskets
In-kind product
Bulk goods, socks, hygiene items
Host an event
Your team assembles on site