Hop in and help children in need receive Easter baskets
Baskets are just one of the items needed to fulfill the needs of the “Easter Giving Project.” Consider donating to this wonderful cause – donations are due by March 30.
By Amy Shanahan with photo courtesy of Stacy Gaines
When Castle Pines Village resident Stacy Gaines moved to Colorado five years ago, she recognized an unfulfilled need. Drawing from her experience at her church in California, Gaines began an “Easter Giving Project” with the goal to deliver Easter baskets to children in need.
The number of homeless families with children is one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population in Colorado. A 2011 point-in-time count conducted by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative found that families with children make up the majority of the homeless population. Of the 11,377 people who were homeless in January 2011, 62 percent were in households with children.
Gaines is in her fifth year of coordinating this project. Last year, she and her friends delivered 280 baskets and 58 Safeway gift cards to recipients at the Denver Inner City Parish, the Denver Rescue Mission, and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. This year she is adding Samaritan House to that list. Her goal is to extend the program to the entire Denver metro area, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs within the next five years, and she hopes to go statewide within 10 years.
The Easter baskets are broken down into four categories: infant, toddler, grade-school and teen. Baskets are filled with hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, baby wipes, and sunscreen, but they also include school supplies and fun items such as wrapped candy, coloring books, crayons, and toys.
Gaines is in need of donations in order to meet the needs of this growing population of children, and hopes that local families, business organizations, churches or schools may be interested in participating in this project. “Regardless of one’s religious affiliation, kids in transitional housing need help and hope,” remarked Gaines. “Easter is my favorite holiday. To me it means a new beginning, and that is what we hope to bring to these children.”
Gaines is also interested in establishing a non-profit organization in order to make it easier for large corporations to donate items, and would welcome any legal experts willing to donate their time to this worthwhile cause. To make a donation please contact Gaines directly by e-mail stacy@gainesdg.com.
