More Than Just a Basket

To many, handing out Easter baskets might seem low on the list of priorities when it comes to helping those affected by the floods. But to those on the receiving end, these Easter baskets came with a message of hope and comfort, a message that they desperately needed to hear.

Take Oslo, MN for example. Last week this tiny town was only accessible by airboat, and the effects of isolation and helplessness began to weigh heavily on the residents. On Thursday, The Salvation Army arrived in Oslo with a surprise: Easter baskets for everyone, including the adults. This small token of love revived the community in a way that will not be soon forgotten. The Mayor of Oslo said that "a week ago our citizens were showing signs of depression and edginess, but when The Salvation Army came to town and began to give supplies and hot meals, it was enough for the whole town to come to the community center and share a meal and just be able to get out of their homes and talk to one another."

Major Ed Wilson of the nearby Grand Forks Salvation Army tells about a little boy he met while spending time with the Oslo community: "Mouth full of bubble gum from his basket and both cheeks painted--one with a lightning bolt and the other with a shark--he said to his friend, 'Man, I am really having a lot of fun here.'" Major Wilson also spoke to an 80 year-old lady of Oslo and asked her if she got her basket, "Her eyes lit up and she said yes, it is the first Easter basket that she ever received in her life." Major Wilson went on to say, "Sometimes we think that perhaps a basket is the least of things we should worry about during these times, but I think Thursday night reaffirmed how important it is that we stay sensitive to God's leading and be willing to obey. Just a basket to us perhaps, but to Oslo, it was a message from God that He cares and He can use just a basket to bring hope in a time of hopelessness."

Thank you to all of the volunteers who put these Easter baskets together and all of those who donated the candy which made over 3,700 baskets to bring hope to many who may have felt forgotten.