by Noella Noelophile®
Remember growing up, with all those springtime tales of whimsical busy bunnies?
What really happens in Long Beach, in preparation for Easter, is a whole lot more fun than that.
Every Easter since 2005, community activist Justin Rudd’s “Operation Easter Basket” has created and supplied Easter baskets for families in need. Justin and his nonprofit 501c3 “Community Action Team” are about to do that again. And they’d love to have your help.
For Easter 2016 (which, by the way, is early this year–March 27th!), the goal is to supply 2,600 baskets.
How to help? Well, if you can, C.A.T. would like you to get four friends together, and have each person fill a basket with items that total a value of between twenty and twenty-five dollars. Decide whether you’ll make a basket for a boy or a girl, and what age category. Categories are: newborn to age 2; age 2-4; 5-7; 8-10; 11-13; and 14-16.
Now, as for what to put in these baskets? Personal hygiene items, such as toothbrush, toothpaste, art supplies, school supplies, essential clothing items. You can also add a small toy–and, of course, some Easter candy 
(A couple of cautionary notes here–no unwrapped candies, such as jelly beans–and be sure not to include any candies that could present a choking hazard for very small children. Also, if you’re including chocolate, be careful where you store the basket. One Easter some of the volunteers had to make an emergency trip to replace some chocolate rabbits, due to the unseasonably warm temperatures! Somehow, melted Easter chocolates just wouldn’t have brought much joy!)
You’ll find a more extensive instructions on “How and What to Pack In Your Baskets” here on C.A.T.’s website. Then, once you’re assembled your basket, wrap it in a cellophane bag and include a note, with the age and gender of the intended recipient: i.e., “BOY, 11-13”.
Then, you’re requested to drop off the baskets on either Thursday, March 24th, 11 am to 6 pm, or Friday, March 25th, from 9 am to 4 pm, at Bay Shore Church in Belmont Shore. (The church address is 5100 East The Toledo, at Granada Avenue.) And, of course, volunteers will be putting baskets together at the church, as well.
While the experience of getting to help with the baskets just makes Easter weekend for a lot of locals, there are other ways to support Operation Easter Basket, as well.
If you have other time commitments, you can donate to Community Action Team, specifying that your gift is for Operation Easter Basket. Volunteers will put the baskets together for you. You’ll find a “Donate” button on C.A.T.’s website.
Or, you can commit to donating at least two volunteer hours, either that Thursday, March 24th or Friday, March 25th. (Contact justin@justinrudd.com with the time you can volunteer.)
A number of volunteers like to bring supplies when they arrive, as there’s a huge demand. Justin emails that “most needed” supplies are full-size bottles of shampoo and/or body wash, marker sets and socks for little kids. (If you’re on an artist’s budget, a great place to find brand-name toothpastes, etc. in quantity is a 99-cent store.)
According to Operation Easter Basket’s Facebook page, empty buckets are available for volunteers to pick up on Thursday, March 24, as well, and turn them into Easter baskets.
And, of course, you’re requested to share what you’re doing on your social media! You can also get your club, school or place of worship involved.
So, how did “Operation Easter Basket” do, for Easter, 2015?
They far surpassed their goal.
Long Beach’s generous honorary “Easter bunnies” donated a record number of baskets–2,546! Among the thirty-one community groups to whom they supplied Easter gifts: Carmelitos Housing Project; Long Beach Rescue Mission; Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Long Beach; and New Image Emergency Shelter.
With this year’s goal set at just fifty-four more baskets, we predict things will be hopping.