After cancellation in 2020, Cordova Family Resource Center’s Easter basket fundraiser has returned in a new format.
This year, baskets will be sold outright rather than being auctioned off. The sale will take place from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 3 at the Cordova Center. Selling the baskets rather than auctioning them off is hoped to minimize traffic at the venue, said CFRC Executive Director Nicole Songer. Baskets will also be wrapped in cellophane so that their contents can’t be touched before purchase.
Ranging in price from $8-$250, baskets will be sold at a cost equal to or less than the combined retail value of their contents, Songer said. The highest-ticket basket on offer, priced at $250, will contain a Cat cell phone valued at $399. The typical cost of a basket will be around $15-$30, she said.
“We know that it has been a hard time for everybody, so we want to make them reasonably priced,” Songer said. “With the way the economy is, and people that have not been able to work, I’d rather have somebody buy that phone for $250 that might need it, but can’t afford it for $399.”
Organizers plan to offer about 75-100 baskets, each with a unique set of contents. The Easter Bunny will also put in an appearance during the event to help keep children occupied while parents are shopping. A bucket of Easter eggs will also be available for children.
CFRC’s Easter basket fundraisers typically net between $2,500-$3,300 for the organization. This money can be used to cover expenses not eligible for grant funding, or to provide leverage for grants. However, it remains to be seen whether selling baskets at a set price, rather than auctioning them off, will have a negative impact on fundraising revenue.
“That’s something that is to be determined, I think,” Songer said. “I think it’ll be interesting.”
