Worcester boy, 12, gives back by making Easter baskets for kids in local shelters

WORCESTER ― A 12-year-old boy in Worcester wants to be sure every child has a basket full of goodies waiting for them Easter morning, even those living in shelters.

It all started about four years ago, when Josh Sowden visited his aunt at a homeless shelter.

"We were getting my nephew an Easter basket and Josh had whispered to me, 'Are the rest of the kids gonna have Easter?'" Josh's stepmother, Crystal Sowden, said.

Crystal asked an employee at the shelter who told them most of the children at the shelter won't get baskets.

That year, using the power of Facebook, Josh made and donated 60 baskets. Crystal posted something about Josh's wish in a Facebook group. Family and friends sent Josh what he needed to make the baskets.

The year after, Josh wanted to do it again. By the next Easter, Josh had made 105 baskets for children in area shelters. In 2022, he made 150. Last year, he made 175.

Shortly after Easter last year, the family received a seven-day eviction notice.

"Right after we actually dropped the baskets off last year, we became homeless," Crystal said. "We were homeless from the end of April last year to the week before Christmas last year."

Crystal, Josh and Josh's father, Nickolas, lived in a hotel for most of 2023. Since the family struggled this past year, Crystal did not think they could make all the baskets. They had even planned not to do it, but then the community started pitching in for the baskets and more.

When the Sowdens moved into their current house, people in the community donated several household items to the Sowdens, including a new bed for Josh.

"Everybody was super generous to us," Crystal said. "When they found out we finally found a place (to live), they were asking us how they can help out."

After their own experience with homelessness, Josh insisted they make baskets this year. He set a goal of 250.

"Seeing it firsthand in a shelter, I realized how bad it was," Josh said. "It was sad knowing kids weren't having holidays."

The family has an Amazon wish list of general items in the baskets, including lotion and shampoo for babies, toys, rattles and Easter-themed glasses.

"We've really tried to ensure that they're well-rounded," Crystal said. "So there's stuff that they can continue to use like the lotion and there's also princesses and Legos. We try to put a smile on the kids' faces."

"I think we knew after the Super Bowl that we were going to have enough to do 175 baskets," Crystal said. "It's been an amazing outpouring of support this year and I think more meaningful for us from what happened to us last year."

Due to a national spotlight on CBS News this past weekend, people around the United States have sent goods for Josh's baskets. It is the most help they have received since starting it in 2020.

With all the money, support and donations they received in the past week, Crystal and Josh are confident they'll reach their goal.

Josh wants other kids in the community to help him. After their story went national, Crystal said, she got messages from teachers telling her how inspiring it was.

Reading a note from a teacher in East Tennessee, Crystal said, "I'm a kindergarten teacher, and you're inspiring my little guys to go out and help other people."

"It feels great," Josh said of his inspiration for others.

The basket-making can get chaotic in the weeks leading up to Easter, Crystal said. When she reads the notes sent to her, she said she "knows (they're) doing the right thing," and it's "worth it."

"Knowing that so many people care about other kids is (my favorite part making these)," Josh said. "I want to make sure every kid gets a basket."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester boy Josh Sowden Easter baskets for homeless children