By Meredith Gardner
meredith.gardner@theindependent.com

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Independent/Scott Kingsley Doug Winder, Project Hunger president, cuts cellophane for a basket of kitchen utensils for Saturday's Easter Basket Extravaganza. Project Hunger hopes to sell 400 baskets and raise $20,000. Independent/Scott Kingsley Jacob Wren (right), 16, and Ethan Neppl, 15, wrap a basket in preparation for Saturday's Easter Basket Extravaganza silent auction. Click Thumbnails to View

The rising cost of food and other items has created more demand and more expenses at the Grand Island Community Food Pantry, which is supplied in part by Project Hunger.

To offset those trends, Project Hunger hopes to sell 400 baskets and raise $20,000 during Saturday's silent auction and raffle.

Easter baskets filled with a variety of goodies will be on display at Conestoga Mall, with silent bidding from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A Nintendo Wii and a shotgun will also be raffled off as part of the event. Raffle tickets can be purchased for $5 apiece or five tickets for $20.

Proceeds will help fund Project Hunger-sponsored programs, including the food pantry.

Last year, it cost Project Hunger about $75 to feed a family of four. This year, that price has risen to $115, said Doug Winder, Project Hunger president.

Also, the food pantry has needed Project Hunger's assistance sooner this year than in years past.

Typically, the food pantry receives enough donations to tide it over until March. But this year, the pantry asked Project Hunger for help purchasing food at the beginning of February, said Jay Wren, Easter Basket Extravaganza coordinator.

People's need for food assistance is increasing, Winder said, but food pantry donations are decreasing.

There were more than 270 baskets sold at the extravaganza last year, Winder said, but, as the Easter Basket Extravaganza is one of Project Hunger's largest fundraising events, the organization hopes to sell 400 baskets to meet this year's anticipated needs.

Baskets are filled with items donated by organizations, businesses and the general public. They're typically centered around themes and may include toys, jewelry, gift certificates, tickets, tools or any number of items.

Currently, the event's organizers have put together 55 baskets for Saturday's auction, and they're still looking for donations of money or items to put in baskets, Wren said. Donations can be dropped off at Conestoga Mall's main office.

The more baskets Project Hunger can auction off, the more money it can make. And with more funding, the organization can ensure it fulfills its mission of feeding the hungry.

"We need this event to be a big event," Winder said.