Community invited to help foster kids enjoy the holiday by donating Easter baskets
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BLACKFOOT — A local nonprofit is inviting the community to help foster kids enjoy this upcoming holiday by donating Easter baskets.
The Village is a foster care closet that serves 16 counties of southeastern Idaho and is operated by the Idaho Foster & Adoptive Parent Association, according to its website. The organization collects and distributes donated items to children in foster care.
“It’s a storefront and so they can come in and shop. Everything is free to them,” said Jacque Burt, director at The Village. “We see approximately 100 kids a month in the store.”
As Easter approaches, she is hoping families, workplaces, or anyone else can donate Easter baskets for boys and girls of all ages. She said the Blackfoot Walmart has been a big supporter of helping The Village with Easter baskets, and she’s grateful.
“You can choose any age and just create an Easter basket. You can put candy in it and toys or a coloring book. We just wanted them to make an Easter basket like they would make for their own child,” Burt said.
Other suggestions to put inside the baskets are fidget toys, stickers, chapstick, craft items and bubbles.
“We do ask if they make it and it’s for a certain age, if they put a little sticker on it like, ‘young boy or teen girl,’ that helps us to kind of sort them so when the foster parents come in, they can choose,” she said.
Once the Easter baskets are collected, Burt says the baskets will be put into the storefront and will be first come, first served.
She said it’s beneficial and a big help to those who need it most.
“I have a foster mom in Blackfoot who has five or six foster kids. She will come get them for all of them and we have taken that burden off of her. She’s able to give to all of them. It’s sweet to be able to do that,” she said.
Burt added that the Easter baskets are given to kids in group homes, too.
“Those kids don’t wake up on Easter morning to a family breakfast or an Easter basket, and so to be able to provide, especially for them, is really a gift. We want to make sure that they don’t miss out on traditions and holidays,” Burt said.
If you are interested in helping, baskets can be donated at The Village, located at 35 East Pacific Street in Blackfoot, or at any of the drop-off porch locations listed below. Baskets can be dropped off between March 22 through March 27.
Easter is on March 31.
