LITCHFIELD, Conn. — A Litchfield small business owner is sending Halloween spirit by the boxload to flood victims in North Carolina.
Jennifer Bastiaanse, who works for her family-run business Valley Restoration, has always been the biggest fan of Halloween. After she saw the devastating effects from Hurricane Helene drowning parts of North Carolina, she began a grassroots effort to gather Halloween goods and basic supplies to help kids in the flood zone.
“I live it 365 days a year,” laughed Bastiaanse from her fully decked out Halloween-themed yard in Litchfield.
She said, “people have been dropping things off at my house or I’ve been getting an insane amount of Amazon Wish List gifts sent to the house and it’s been incredible.”
Bastiaanse was touched by the flood victims’ plight when she found out a longtime friend and his family had lost everything after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina.
“I thought about all the kids in North Carolina and in so many other locations that are dealing with all these tragedies," Bastiaanse said. “I had a hyper-fixated idea on Friday at 4 p.m. and here we are today four days later.”
Bastiaanse collected items including Halloween costumes, candy and much-needed supplies like small backpacks, flashlights and water bottles and sent them all to her Litchfield home. The gathered goods are being shipped out this Wednesday and headed to various churches in the flooded areas of North Carolina.
Packing up the last of the more than two dozen supply boxes, Bastiaanse added, “In the beginning, I thought it was a crazy idea, but it is really simple and it’s the excitement and it’s just the idea behind Halloween; it brings a lot of joy to people.”
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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