It’s no secret that Easter is a holiday that children enjoy.
Children receiving inpatient care are no exception. This very fact is a big reason why hospitals and nonprofit organizations throughout the country are requesting the public donate Easter baskets ahead of the 2022 holiday weekend.
Here are some options you may want to consider if you’re looking to play Easter Bunny this year.
UC Davis Children’s Hospital
UC Davis Children’s Hospital is accepting donations that’ll brighten patients’ days over Easter weekend. The hospital’s Creative Arts Therapy Department is asking the public to donate treats, toys and pastime activities, so hospital staff can craft personalized Easter baskets for pediatric patients.
"We hope we can bring some cheer to our patients and their families who are spending Easter in the hospital," said Katherine MacDonald, programming coordinator in the UC Davis Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department. "We would love to provide them with the tradition of Easter baskets."
Donations need to be dropped off by Thursday, April 14, so it’s important to mail your items as soon as possible. Drop-off deliveries can be made in person as well. Staff will accept the deliveries and distribute them to patients in accordance with "hospital infection control policies."
EASTER CANDY IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PARTS OF THE HOLIDAY, NEW SURVEY REVEALS
If you’re afraid your donation won’t make it to the Sacramento hospital in time for Easter, UC Davis has published an Easter basket Amazon wish list where people can purchase gifts for patients, which will be shipped directly to the hospital.
Easter for Eli
Nonprofit organization Easter for Eli is aiming to donate 10,000 Easter baskets to children’s hospitals and charities throughout the country, according to WJAC TV.
The Pennsylvania-based organization is reportedly close to hitting its goal. Martin Garrett, Easter for Eli’s founder, told the local news outlet that he started the organization in honor of his late son Elias "Eli" Garret, who died at the age of 3 after a two-year fight with Non-Hodgkin's T-Cell Lymphoma.
Eli had been fond of Easter and received baskets from family and friends. The Garrett family would share his excess holiday treats with other children at the hospital.
Martin Garrett kept up the Easter basket tradition to honor Eli’s memory in 2010 and since then, the organization has expanded its donation reach to 21 children's hospitals, 14 Ronald McDonald houses and three Shriner hospitals in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware and Washington, DC.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Easter for Eli accepts monetary donations and sells apparel to keep the organization running. The nonprofit also welcomes donated items to craft baskets, including stuffed animals and other toys, clothes, electronic gadgets, art supplies, handmade gifts, games and infant care products.
Wildcard Foundation
The Wildcard Foundation in Tustin, California, is hosting an 8th Annual Easter Basket Drive to benefit pediatric patients at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Complimentary baskets are provided to donors who reach out to the Wildcard Foundation directly. The organization has a list of approved items that can be packed into these baskets, which include gifts for teen patients (headphones, journals and socks), sensorial experiences (kinetic sand, light up toys, pop tubes) and mental health (stress balls, fidget toys and aromatherapy lotions).
The Wildcard Foundation will also accept monetary or single item donations.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
If donors are physically dropping off items, they have until Saturday, April 9.