WIN Members Took Care Of Easter

For More Than 300 Children

By Shannon Hicks

Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) put together more baskets for its annual Easter Basket Event this year than ever in the past. Even with a last-minute emergency call for 86 more baskets than had been planned for, the women of WIN pulled together 323 baskets, buckets and decorated boxes filled with toys, candy, games and Easter grass during the latest assembly line-brunch gathering at Mandy Monaco’s house.

Members of the organization marked the 11th year of its Easter basket program by once again meeting at Mrs Monaco’s home, rolling up their sleeves, getting fortified with orange juice and coffee, and getting very busy with the task at hand. None of these women want to think of any child waking up this Sunday morning and not having an Easter basket waiting for them, after all. With that in mind, the task of spending a few hours filling baskets with more than the material donations that came in during recent weeks is equaled only by the love and comfort the women feel toward children they do not even know.

“We knew it would be the largest year yet,” said Mrs Monaco, who launched the project in 1999, “and we worry that this need will only continue to grow. But we covered everyone,” she said, sounding very relived.

In addition to the four traditional locations that WIN sends its members to drop off the filled baskets — Newtown Social Services, and Danbury groups The Healing Hearts Center of Regional Hospice, Harmony House Health Care Center and AIDS Interfaith Ministry — the group received a called from Schooner House Friday morning with a request: Could we get 86 baskets?

This was the first time WIN has surpassed the 300 mark in the history of the Easter basket project, but the woman sailed right past it with ease last Friday morning and early afternoon.

Thanks to the generosity of students from a number of Newtown’s schools, Girl Scouts and even residents who responded to a few appeals in recent issues of The Bee for the filler grass and gently used stuffed animals (although many folks decided to donate new animals), there was plenty of inventory from which to choose.

“We actually had more materials than we thought we were going to,” said Mrs Monaco. “We put together those extra baskets and then we were able to give the leftovers to Goodwill, and they were thrilled.

“Everything was taken care of.”