PIQUA — The Bethany Center Soup Kitchen will be hosting an “Easter basket to-go” event for the community this Saturday, April 11, at 11 a.m., in the parking lot of the Miami Valley Centre Mall, near the old Elder-Beerman store location.

According to Ruth Koon, member of the Bethany Center’s volunteer outreach committee, 400 baskets will be distributed in a “drive-thru” style pick-up.

“We wanted to bring the Bethany Center to the forefront by recognizing what they do for the Piqua community, and we thought in what a better way than to do this outreach project called ‘Easter basket to-go,’” Koon said.

The “baskets” will actually be McDonald’s Happy Meal boxes, filled with plastic Easter eggs full of jelly beans and other surprises, wrapped chocolate candies, coloring books, and other treats for children and families.

“The Scott Family McDonald’s donated the Happy Meal boxes because to provide 400 baskets would have been pretty expensive,” Koon said. “Walmart donated funding for the project, and many of the residents of Piqua have been very generous in donating wrapped candy for the boxes.”

Koon said a group of local college students are working to put the baskets together. She noted that measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the items in the boxes, including the use of masks and gloves during preparation.

At the distribution site on Saturday, Koon said there will be about four stations where people can pull up in their cars and baskets will be passed to them, ensuring little to no contact between the volunteers and visitors. Again, Koon noted these volunteers will also be utilizing safety equipment like gloves and masks.

“We want to provide a very happy Easter treat for kids during this unfortunate time this season,” she said.

The Bethany Center, located at 339 South St., in Piqua, provides critical services to members of the community. This includes serving to-go lunches to those in need every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the old South Street school location.