By Mackenzie Shields
On April 9, the Oswego City-County Youth Bureau and the Kiwanis Club will collaborate to provide those in need with an Easter basket, said Jennifer Losurdo, the bureau’s youth activities aide.
The Easter baskets will be given out in the parking lot of Breitbeck Park at 11 a.m., adjacent to the playground.
150 baskets will be put together and distributed. Losurdo said that so far, 123 baskets have been claimed, and she expects that as the date approaches, more will be requested.
“It’s time consuming, and it’s very costly,” Losurdo said. “The price of candy has gone up like crazy.” The Kiwanis Club and the youth bureau collaborate to fund the baskets, and they also receive donations from the community.
Losurdo said that she can tell the public what they need, such as Easter grass or candy, and people will come and drop it off to her. “We have a great community when it comes to this,” she said.
This collaboration has taken place for three years. Losurdo said that the Kiwanis Club approached her with the idea when it first began.
“There are people in the community who could use some help, and I jumped right on it,” she said.
She said that basket recipients are always highly appreciative, and that it feels good to be able to help. She added that some have even cried at the event, and that each time the giveaway has run very smoothly. Recipients arrive at the park, give their name, and receive their baskets.
She said that the baskets do not necessarily fulfill the entirety of Easter for families, but can contribute to providing for their needs.
In addition to the basket giveaway, the youth bureau is also collaborating with several other city offices and businesses in order to host the Easter Bunny Drive-By. This event will feature the Easter Bunny riding on a 20-foot-trailer through the city of Oswego. The trailer will stop in various locations so that attendees can take photos with the Easter Bunny and receive bags with candy.
“It’s going to be something that everybody needs to see,” Losurdo said.
Though the drive-by took place last year as well, this is the first year that it will take place on a trailer instead of a pickup truck, said Losurdo. The trailer will be decorated with pastel lattice and towed by PJC Contracting.
Prior to the drive-by, for two years, an Easter egg hunt took place. The first year, “it was a nightmare,” Losurdo said, and added that “the parents were all fighting.”
She said that the second year ran more smoothly, but then the beginning of the pandemic forced them to change their course of action, and brought about the first drive-by.
The drive-by will take place on April 16. Locations where the trailer will be stopping can be found on the Oswego City-County Youth Bureau Facebook page. Losurdo said that they tried to choose locations in several different school districts.
Image via Flickr
