WANT TO DONATE FOR JOY DURING THIS LENTEN SEASON?
What is the Easter Basket of Plenty Drive?
Catholic Charities’ Easter Basket of Plenty Drive is a fundraiser to collect Easter Basket supplies, to make Easter Baskets, for the poor migrant farmworker children of Southeastern Hillsborough County who live at our San Jose Mission affordable apartments and otherwise would not be able to enjoy this secular aspect of the Easter Holy Day. This drive begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the weekend before Easter Sunday. This year, the drive lasts from February 22 until March 31. This drive follows the 40 days of Lent and ends with an Easter Event on Holy Saturday, April 9, for the children of the San Jose Mission and San Juan Diego Mission (affordable housing communities for low-income families). At this event, the children receive Easter baskets, take pictures with the Easter bunny, participate in Easter Egg Hunts, and enjoy goodies.
What is Donating for Joy?
Donating for joy is participating in the Easter Basket of Plenty Drive by donating Easter Basket stuffers or donating funds to purchase the needed items. Donating for Joy allows you to live/practice/act on the third of the three Lenten pillars: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. You honor Christ by giving to children in need – children who Jesus particularly cared for as he himself mentioned frequently in the Gospels – who would not otherwise have this secular accompaniment to the Easter Holy Day. See below for needed supplies and more ways to participate!
There are 4 Ways to Donate for Joy!
- Shop locally and donate supplies to one of the designated drop-off locations. Scroll down for participating locations.
- Shop on Amazon, use this link, and have your donations shipped directly to Catholic Charities.
- Donate via credit card through the donation form [immediately] below. We’ll buy the baskets and supplies.
- If you don’t have your credit card or want to think about the amount you’d like to give, you can donate later by text: DonateForJoy to 41444.
What are the Drop-Off Locations?
Last Year’s Event
Catholic Charities’ Easter Basket of Plenty Drive 2022, began on Ash Wednesday, March 2, and lasted until April 8. The drive followed the 40 days of Lent, and ended with an Easter Event on Holy Saturday, April 16, for the children of the San Jose Mission and San Juan Diego Mission. At this event, the children received Easter baskets, took pictures with the Easter Bunny, participated in Easter Egg Hunts and enjoyed goodies.
575 baskets were made for the children of low-income farm worker families at San Jose Mission and San Juan Diego Mission. These baskets were created due to the generous participation of 12 parishes in the Easter Basket of Plenty Drive. Multiple community members and parishioners generously donated Easter supplies and $2,000 cash for this year’s event. Thanks to this combined effort, the children had an extra special Easter.
Thank you to last year’s participating donors and volunteers!
