SIKESTON -- A Sikeston church and its members collected items to ensure local children in foster care have a "hoppy" Easter.
Recently, the Fellowship Baptist Church in Sikeston placed a white, artificial pine tree topped with bunny ears in its church. The tree was full of paper-egg ornaments stating the needs of a local foster children. Church members who wanted could pull an egg from the tree and purchase items requested for a child in need and bring them to the church.
The premise is similar to the angel tree program for local foster children at Christmas time.
On Tuesday, Karrie Rinehart of the Scott and Mississippi County Foster and Resource Association and members of the children's division collected the baskets for the children.
"Thank you so much," Rinehart said. "It's appreciated."
Members of Fellowship Baptist Church in Sikeston donated items to create over 180 baskets for the local children in foster care. Each basket also includes a miniature Bible.
Lauren Masterson, children's service circuit manager for the 33rd Circuit Court Children's Division which includes Scott and Mississippi Counties, also helped pick up the baskets.
"We will have an Easter party and hand out the baskets to all the foster children and their kin and relatives," Masterson said.
The Easter bunny is even scheduled to make an appearance when baskets are distributed, Masterson said.
"We've been trying to do more and more activities with the children and their families throughout the year," Rinehart said.
She also noted its April is National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month.
This is the second year Fellowship Baptist Church and its members have provided local foster children with goodies for Easter.
Fellowship church members Cathy Bateman and Linda Moore spent nearly three hours on Monday filling the remainder of baskets with goodies donated by the church members.
Moore said it makes perfect sense for the church to help out the local foster children and their families in need because the church is family-oriented.
"This is a church that cares for the community and does community service because it's the Christian thing to do," Moore said.