All of the elements for a successful Easter were carefully arranged on tables inside KIC-IT’s youth center.
Two-liter bottles of regular and pink lemonade had been laid out in rows. Packages of instant potatoes, canned vegetables and jars of jelly were ready to be packed in food baskets.
Brightly colored plastic eggs, candy, toys and other surprises were stacked next to plastic pails.
In the coming days, all of that food, beverages and Easter treats would be packaged up and passed out to families in need.
“Social service agencies do a really good job of covering Christmas and Thanksgiving, but I realized no one did anything at Easter, even though it’s a big holiday celebrated by families,” said Katie Schwarz, executive director of KIC-IT. “We wanted to help people in need during the holidays.”
KIC-IT, with the help of community donors, will be distributing meal packages to help feed more than 400 people throughout the county. Families will receive holiday staples such as a precooked ham, instant potatoes, applesauce, vegetables and lemonade to have a well-rounded Easter dinner.
The Easter Bunny will also be helping brighten the season for children, providing baskets of candy, crackers and other goodies.
KIC-IT officials hope that the distribution serves people in need at a time of year when not as much assistance is available to fight hunger.
“When you’re serving families, you see the grateful and gratitude of the adults, because they’re getting a meal. But then you see the kids, who are excited and happy because they’re getting something too,” Schwarz said.
KIC-IT has been working within the Johnson County community for a decade to address the homelessness crisis. The organization collaborates with other groups and agencies to support young people, ages 16 to 25, who are struggling to break the cycle of homelessness.
The staff offers case management to support clients and create plans addressing their struggles. A drop-in center is available where people can do laundry, get a meal, use computers and socialize with others. Pantry and hygiene items are also available to those in need.
This will be the third year for the KIC-IT Easter distribution. Schwarz created the event in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was creating addition strain and crisis for families throughout the area.
While Easter is an important holiday for a number of Johnson County residents, Schwarz didn’t know of any assistance programs for local residents during this time of year.
The first year, KIC-IT passed out about 20 meals. The distribution grew to provide between 40 and 50 meals in 2021, as well as 75 Easter baskets.
This year, Schwarz anticipates giving out more than 100 meal baskets, feeding more than 400 people, while also providing 220 baskets for kids. Registrations have come from every area of the county.
“When I look at the household income and size, who we’re serving in Johnson County, it’s really humbling to see the need and also the opportunity to impact,” she said.
To find out who needed help, KIC-IT opened up the registration through other social service agencies and community partners. Officials also worked with churches and schools for referrals for people who are struggling with food insecurity.
A link on social media allowed people to register as well, Schwarz said. Some of the information collected included basic contact, where in the county they live, household size and household income.
“So we’re able to see from an agency standpoint the demographics. We’re able to see how many children and ages, to have age-appropriate baskets. And an Easter dinner for a household of three is much different from a household of nine,” Schwarz said. “We wanted to be prepared for the families we are serving.”
The meals are the main components of the baskets, and each package contains items that can be easily prepared, even if families only have a microwave.
People receive a precooked ham, just-add-water mashed potatoes, applesauce, pre-packaged cookies, easy-to-cook vegetables, apple butter or jelly and a beverage.
KIC-IT is also collecting plastic eggs, candy, coloring books, crayons and other items that would go in a child’s Easter basket.
“Kids love Easter baskets, and that’s a financial hardship for families who might be struggling,” Schwarz said. “There are free Easter egg hunts and things like that, but that’s not quite the same as getting a basket.”
While the distribution provides immediate help for local families, Schwarz also sees a chance to give additional support moving forward.
“Most of the people we’ll be serving don’t know about KIC-IT or all of the programs that we offer. It’s exciting for us to reach new people,” she said.
Over the coming days, an army of volunteers, from students at Franklin Community High School to area churches to businesses such as Horizon Bank and Amazon, will fill baskets and help with distribution.
KIC-IT will be collecting items from their Easter grocery list from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at their youth center. The more donations that come in, the more people that will be helped this holiday season, Schwarz said.
“I don’t know any other social services that do a meal-type outreach around Easter, so just being able to address that need around the community is a blessing,” she said.
How to help
KIC-IT is still collecting items for its Easter distribution for families in need. The agency needs the following items:
- Precooked ham
- Jars of applesauce
- Just-add-water mashed potatoes
- Prepackaged cookies
- Apple butter or jelly
- Two-liter containers of lemonade
- Easter eggs, candy, crackers and other items for kids’ baskets
- Easy-to-cook vegetables
Items may be dropped off from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday at the KIC-IT youth center at 203 Commerce Drive, Franklin.
Questions, email Katie at [email protected].
