The Easter Bunny has been enlisted to help raise money for local food banks.
A Lacombe event rental company is sending the Easter Bunny to central Albertans who make a $20 donation to a food bank of their choosing.
“We’re just trying to do a fundraiser and spread some cheer, because things are a little slow and a tad gloomy with the coronavirus right now,” said Larissa Podbielski, owner of Copper Cloud Events.
The Easter Bunny will stay a safe distance from donors’ homes by dancing and waving from the street.
“I don’t really know where (the idea) came from. I knew that food banks are in need right now, so I wanted to come up with something that can help them.
“Obviously, we had to get a bit creative with social distancing, so we got in touch with the Easter Bunny and he was on board,” said Podbielski.
Tickets began selling Tuesday and the response has been great so far, she said.
“Last time I checked, we were around $600.
“We have 50 tickets available per day, and if we were able to sell out, I would be ecstatic. But looking at what we’ve sold already, I’m super excited. It’s a good chunk of money to each of the food banks. Anything beyond this is great.”
It’s important to support food banks right now, Podbielski added.
“People are struggling with loss of work and extra expenses from having kids home and that kind of thing. The need for the food bank is probably going to increase.
“For most people, seeing other people happy makes you happy. The thought of going around and doing this is already making me so excited.”
The Easter Bunny will visit Sylvan Lake, Bentley and Poplar Ridge on Friday, Lacombe, Blackfalds and Ponoka on Saturday and Red Deer on Sunday.
Visits will take place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Donors will receive a phone call before the bunny arrives.
Anyone interested in getting a visit from the Easter Bunny is asked to make a donation through Eventbrite or by e-transfer to contact@coppercloud.ca.
Donors are asked to indicate which food bank they want their donation to go to.
Anyone who doesn’t want a visit, but is still interested in giving to a food bank, is encouraged to donate.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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