provided to The Santiva Chronicle
FISH of SANCAP assembled baskets with all of the supplies for a festive Easter family dinner and children’s bunny baskets filled with a book, candy, small toys, school supplies and more. This year, a record number of 200 Easter dinner baskets and 150 bunny baskets were distributed to neighbors in need.
“The volunteers devoted to this program have been working tirelessly since the end of March to make sure everyone enjoyed the Easter holiday,” said Executive Director Maria Espinoza. “It’s incredible how this program has grown over the years and in particular since 2020, which we attribute to COVID-related loss of income and medical emergencies.”
Linda Uhler, Kathy Engdhal, Jill Wisniewski Dean Engdhal, Deb Garret, left, and Delores McFoley receives an Easter basket.
In 2020, FISH distributed 100 dinner and 80 bunny baskets. Participation was in the 40 to 80 range for food baskets and under 100 bunny baskets prior to that. Basket recipients are known to the organization through other FISH programs, such as the food pantry and emergency financial assistance.
“The dedication of our volunteers, down to the tiniest detail like creating beautiful bundles of ingredients for Peep S’mores, is second to none,” said Espinoza.
FISH is grateful to the local partners who helped made this year’s program successful: CVS, Sanibel and Captiva Association of Realtors and Jerry’s Foods accepted food and candy donations and Gene’s Books and MacIntosh Books & Paper held a book drive for Easter bunny baskets, as well as many generous donors.
For additional information on FISH and its programs and services, contact Espinoza at 239-472-4775 or visit the website.
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