Community members planning ‘Project Easter Basket’ for elderly, health care workers
Many families have a tradition of getting together over the Easter holiday, but this year’s plans have been put on hold due to the ongoing public health emergency.
A group of Yuba-sutter community members came up with a plan to make sure the area’s elderly in isolation don’t feel forgotten this holiday and are putting together Easter bags that will be distributed over the weekend.
“We’ve been delivering food boxes to the elderly that are 65 years and older, and during one of our team meetings, Jeff Stephens of SAYLOVE said it would be nice to put an Easter basket in with their food to do something special for them and to show them we are thinking about them,” said Stephanie Mckenzie, director of the Yuba-sutter Community Task Force, which is partnering with SAYLOVE and other community leaders on the project.
“We thought it would be nice to gather notes and pictures to put in the Easter bags that will go out over the weekend. We plan on delivering some to health care professionals in the area, as well.”
The group put out a call to action for community members to send in notes to be included in the holiday packages. Some local schools also had students submit drawings to be included.
It was the perfect project for Yuba City High School junior Emily Dominguez. When she was in grade school, she mailed letters to elderly folks in Yuba City who she said don’t always get visitors where they live. She even stated a group called Seniors Young at Heart where members will visit the elderly community to socialize with them.
When she saw the Yuba-sutter Community Task Force’s Facebook post about the project, she was reminded of how sending letters to the elderly all those years ago made her feel.
“It just made me feel better about myself. I felt like I was affected more than the seniors,” Dominguez said. “When I saw the Facebook post about the need for cards and baskets, and knew I had to help.”
As of Friday, Dominguez had made over 200 cards to be included in the thousands of baskets expected to go out over the weekend. She said she had help from friends and family who sent in inspirational messages and drawings to include, even from one person as far away as Italy.
Organizers got together on Friday evening to put the baskets together. Mckenzie said the amount of community support the project has seen has been great. She hopes the baskets send a message of encouragement to the health care professionals on the front line and the elderly population who are isolated.
“This is important because so many people are feeling isolated and separated. It’s good for people to stay connected, so this is a way for people to connect and show others that they haven’t been forgotten and that the community still cares about them,” Mckenzie said.