Group assembles Easter baskets for children in shelters

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This article was published 17/02/2023 (1152 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A group of Discovery Toys advisors have launched a donation drive to create Easter baskets for kids staying at women’s shelters across Manitoba, Ronald McDonald House and other crisis shelters.

Tia Sunley, a Discovery Toys advisor from Lorette said they want to raise funds to supply more than 250 baskets to children up to 13 years old across Manitoba.

“What those baskets show is that people are still thinking of them and caring about them and sometimes that little bit of kindness is so meaningful to those families,” she said.

Each child will receive a basket including a Discovery Toys game and/or toy, a book, toiletry products and some Easter candy and other treats.

Sunley said they’ve been doing this in Manitoba since 2015, involving Discovery Toy advisors from across the province.

To accomplish this, they are asking for help.

Baskets can be sponsored for $30 each. Businesses or individuals who contribute will receive special recognition in a public thank you. Those that donate $100 or more will receive increased recognition.

The deadline to help is March 31.

“It gives us enough time to get those collections in, to get the toiletries purchased, to get the treats purchased, get all the baskets assembled and distributed to the corresponding places so come Easter morning they’re ready to go,” she said.

Sunley said people in the Southeast have been very generous in the past, adding no donation goes to waste.

“It helps those shelters provide extra baskets plus we do also provide extra toys, treats and toiletries just as an extra general package for them that they can give over the course of the year if there’s a birthday or they have a new child coming in,” she said.

Since 2015 over 1,200 baskets have been supplied.

Agape House in Steinbach is one women’s shelter that benefits from the program.

Serving Southeast Manitoba, the emergency shelter is home to 16 beds welcoming women and children who will stay up to 60 days.

In that time, Tracy Whitby, executive director said they help them find housing, get set up financially, help them address medical issues, offer crisis counselling and other educational resources.

She said having a basket for kids on Easter morning is important.

“It means so much to our families, just to have a little piece of normalcy, to feel like a regular kid on Easter morning and to have something positive to look forward to,” she said. “Kids have absolutely no control in any of these situations. They are completely innocent and for them to be able to feel normal and feel excited and happy about something when their lives are kind of in transition and there isn’t anything solid to hold onto makes such a difference to them.”

Donations are accepted through e-transfers to tiasunley@gmail.com. For more information or to donate by cheque or cash, contact Tia Sunley at 204-290-6897.