Catholic Charities Fifth Annual Easter Baskets of P-LENT-Y Drive
What is the Easter Basket of Plenty Drive?
Catholic Charities’ Easter Basket of Plenty Drive is an annual fundraiser that is being expanded this year to serve more children of Catholic Charities client families. We are collecting Easter Basket supplies, to make Easter Baskets for 3 groups of our low-income clients whose children would otherwise not be able to enjoy this secular aspect of Easter:
1) poor migrant farmworker children of Southeastern Hillsborough County who live at our San Jose Mission affordable apartments;
2) children at our Pasco Family (Homeless) Shelter in Port Richey; and
3) children of families assisted through our Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Program (helps them avoid homelessness).
4) children at our Pasco Hope temporary housing location (Port Richey) – housing families displaced by Hurricanes Milton and Helene until they can return to their homes.
5) children living in some of our various apartment buildings throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties (e.g., St. Benedict Apts. in Crystal River)
This drive begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the weekend before Easter Sunday. Specifically, the 2025 drive begins on March 5 and ends April 11 (the Friday one week before Good Friday). The drive is meant to follow the 40 days of Lent but ends before then, so we have one week to assemble the baskets (although obviously we will accept cash up until Holy Saturday, April 19). The following week, Easter Baskets will be delivered to the parents of the children of Pathways and Pasco Family Shelter.
The children at San Jose Mission will be given their Easter Baskets at an event held on the morning of Holy Saturday, April 19th with an appearance by the Easter Bunny, Easter Egg Hunts, music courtesy of Spirit FM 90.5 as well as snacks and refreshments.
When: April 19 (Holy Saturday): 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Where: Pope Francis Community Center, 3238 San Jose Mission Dr., Dover FL 33527
What: Easter Baskets handed out | Easter Bunny photographs | Easter Egg Hunt | Music & Games
Suggested Donated Items & Drop-Off Locations
Suggested Items (examples)
Donation Drop-Off Location List
VOLUNTEER
To volunteer, please contact Shannon Leigh:
EMAIL: Shannon Leigh
PHONE: (727) 270-5366
DONATE CASH
You can donate to help us purchase needed items by using the donation form below, clicking on the following link or using the QR Code:
Last Year’s Event
Nearly 1,000 baskets were made for the children of low-income farm worker families at San Jose Mission and San Juan Diego Mission as well as children from other Catholic Charities programs! These baskets were created due to the generous participation of several parishes in the Easter Basket of Plenty Drive. Multiple community members and parishioners generously donated Easter supplies and cash for the event. Thanks to this combined effort, the children had an extra special Easter. THANK YOU TO students, staff and parents of Academy of the Holy Names (Tampa, FL) who volunteered to help the day of the event!
Thank you to last year’s participating donors and volunteers!
