Donations pour in to 12-year-old making Easter baskets for homeless children in Massachusetts
WORCESTER – A Worcester 12-year-old's mission to ensure every child has an Easter basket is inspiring people all across the country and beyond.
WBZ-TV first introduced you to Josh Sowden in February as he worked to put together Easter baskets for homeless children.
"After you did the story with me, we got a lot more donations. It kind of reached all over the world," 12-year-old Josh said.
"How can we help out?"
The project started four years ago after Josh visited members of his own family in a homeless shelter.
"We started to talk about how we could help her with my nephew, who was little at the time, and Josh said we should buy him an Easter basket," Josh's stepmother, Crystal Sowden said. "And then he asked us if the other kids were getting Easter baskets."
"We found out that almost every kid in there didn't have an Easter," Josh added. "So we were like, 'Oh my God, how can we help out?'"
That first year, with the help of Facebook, Josh constructed and donated 34 Easter baskets.
"It wasn't a one-year thing," said Nickolas Sowden, Josh's dad. "The year after, he asked 'Are we going to do it again?'"
Breaking his own record
And they did. By the next Easter, Josh made 105 baskets for kids in area shelters. In 2022, he made 150. And last year, he made 175.
Then, in a turn of events, homelessness hit his own family.
"It just wasn't a great feeling, living in a hotel," said Josh. "After we found out that so many people helped us, we thought it would be better to give back."
So, for Easter 2024, Josh told said he wanted to beat his record last year and make between 175 and 200 Easter baskets.
But shortly after Josh's story aired, something remarkable happened. Hundreds of donations started pouring in. And not just from Massachusetts.
"We've had donations from South Bend [Indiana], Vegas..." Josh said. "My favorite is when they leave the little notes."
Donations pour in
As donations started pouring in from all across the country, Josh received packages from the Midwest, states like Florida and Texas, and even from Saskatchewan, Canada.
On Super Bowl Sunday alone, Josh and his family answered the door to 79 Amazon packages from his wish list.
Josh said he will now far surpass his goal of making over 175 baskets.
"As we started getting a lot of boxes, we wanted [to make] 250, and now we think we're going to hit 310," Josh said.
The overwhelming support and encouragement is something Josh never expected.
"It makes me really happy," he said. "I want to thank Shaw's, because they sent a lot of Amazon gift cards, and everyone who donated."
How you can help
All of those baskets are personalized to the age and gender of the child receiving it. Josh said despite the overwhelming donations, he still needs about 60 items for the baby baskets.
"In the baby baskets we have baby toys, soaps, books," Josh said. "We also give them different items they can't choke on."
But Josh can't construct all of these baskets alone.
The Sowden family is asking for volunteers to help make the baskets on Saturday, March 23. They are meeting at the Boylston Water District Facility from noon to 5 p.m.
Josh is also still taking donations through his "Easter Baskets for the Homeless" Facebook page.