N.S. group to hand out free Easter bags to local families, children

Ahead of Easter, Maritimers look at balancing tradition with their budget.

A group in Eastern Passage, N.S., is making sure every child in the community has a happy Easter.

“We know food insecurity right now is rampant for families. Families are having to face paying rent or putting food on the table,” said Eastern Passage Food Security Society president Samantha Galvin.

“When holidays come, we don’t want families to have to feel like they need to cancel a holiday. We’re hoping just to bring a little bit of joy into the holiday season for them.”

The Eastern Passage Food Security Society was busy Thursday packing Easter bags to give to those in need for free.

“Thanks to a generous donation from Second Harvest, Lindor donated 158 pounds of chocolate that we’re going to redistribute for Easter,” she said.

Second Harvest is a food rescue organization that works with businesses to redirect surplus food to non-profit organizations.

The free Easter bags are available for people living in the Eastern Passage or Cow Bay areas.

“There’s a Google form on our Facebook site right now that families can sign up completely anonymously. Our whole mission is to be accessible while respecting everybody’s dignity so they can sign up with just their address, and we will come and deliver the Easter bag,” said Galvin.

She said people who don’t have access to the internet can go into the community fridge next Thursday or Friday to pick up a bag. The fridge, which has been in operation for about a year now, is located in the parking lot of the Eastern Passage firehall.

“Food insecurity is quite common right now,” said Galvin. “We have working families accessing our food bank. We are in trying times economically right now and we don’t want anyone to feel shame in getting a little bit of support right now.”

Easter expenses

For those who celebrate Easter, chocolate is often high on the shopping list.

“I think a lot of people, if they haven’t noticed yet, they will notice higher prices or smaller packages, less quantity for the same price,” said Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics lab director Sylvain Charlebois.

“It’s been in fashion for Easter chocolate just because we go out once a year and manufacturers bank on the idea that you won’t remember how big that bunny was last year or how big that egg was.”

Charlebois said cocoa prices hit a record high in December 2024, but it has since come down. However, the benefits of the price decrease won’t be felt in time for Easter.

“I think the Easter Bunny doesn’t want to disappoint anybody. So, I think parents will still buy chocolate. They’ll just buy less of it,” he said.

Another item which is popular for Easter is ham.

“When you look at the meat trifecta between beef, pork and chicken, pork is absolutely a bargain right now,” said Charlebois. “So far, we’re not seeing ham prices skyrocketing. In fact, they’re pretty stable.”

An area where shoppers may notice higher costs is canned goods due to tariffs and counter tariffs on steel and aluminum.

“We’re seeing the centre of the store become a little bit more expensive. So, if you’re making your own gravy, if you’re doing all your stuff yourself, you’re probably going to save a lot of money,” said Charlebois.

“If you buy anything out of a can, you’ll likely pay more compared to last year.”

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