16-04-2025
Easter food and basket distributions benefit at-need citizens
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — An Easter tradition of giving returned to Scranton, bringing smiles, hope, and full bags to thousands of families in Lackawanna County.
The annual Easter food and basket distribution, hosted by Friends of the Poor, took over the outside of the Scranton Cultural Center, welcoming everyone who came.
'This is a really important event to us because it's separate from our food pantry, it's a different type of food, and we recognize that a lot of families that are struggling and maybe don't necessarily need our food pantries, can't make ends meet to make a holiday meal,' explained Meghan Loftus, President & CEO of Friends of the Poor.
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Volunteers packed 4,000 bags of food, enough for a full Easter meal, and handed out 3,000 Easter baskets donated by the community.
'This year is really great. We have a lot of students from the local universities, we have a lot of high school students and teams, so it's great to see the younger generation coming out and realizing the importance of giving back and supporting our community,' said Loftus.
The local students give the program a boost of liveliness, and they can use their experience to keep it running as the years go by.
'I think it's great because some people can't support for themselves, so like, it's just nice to give back,' West Scranton freshman Sophia Deluca said.
'I wanna give back as much as I could, you know, I think it's a great thing, it's a great feeling to have,' stated Jonathan Noll, a junior from West Scranton.
For those who lined up, this event raised spirits, knowing they had everything they needed to celebrate the holiday.
'I'm really glad that the community has the opportunity to give back to the people who are less fortunate, I think it's a blessing for all,' Scranton resident Eyasu Palmore expressed.
'There's a lot of children that won't have an Easter, so I think this is very good. I think this is very good. It's helping the community, helping a lot of little children, and helping families also with the meals,' Laverne Strawder from Scranton said.
From full hearts to full carts, Friends of the Poor says the mission is simple: Making sure no one feels forgotten during the holidays.
'So we want to make sure we're here for those families who just can't afford that extra bump in their grocery bill and have them have a nice holiday meal with their family and make those memories that we all get to make at Easter,' said Loftus.
Supplies ran out at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Friends of the Poor is looking for new volunteers, and they're also in need of monetary donations to keep programs running.
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