Like so many kids and families across Naperville during COVID-19, 10 year old Jane Temple was searching for creative ways to fill the time around the house. Using flowers, rocks and dirt from their backyard and an empty basket, a craft to stave off boredom turned into a growing act of local charity.
“Well someone put our arrangement on Facebook and people wanted to buy them and we thought we should donate the money to help businesses in downtown Naperville,” said Jane.
Crafting for Charity
The baskets sell for $35 each, with business supplies costing $27.50 – leaving $7.50 from each basket to go to help local businesses struggling in the pandemic.
Using hanging baskets from area craft and hardware stores, the Highlands Elementary student fills the baskets with dirt, flowers, rocks, and various accessories to make each arrangement unique. Jane’s arts and crafts background has run in the family for years.
“When I was really little my parents liked to do service projects and I helped. I also really liked doing crafts on my own.”
Baskets in High Demand
The demand for these homemade floral baskets has been high, keeping the young entrepreneur busy, as each basket takes about 15 minutes to construct.
“We’ve sold 232 of them and raised $2,000. And we still have people waiting so we are going to have to make more!”
Although the prime time of year for floral baskets is beginning to wind down, Jane and her mother Shelly have other charitable projects on the docket for the changing seasons.
“In the fall we are going to do same thing, not in baskets but in tins,” explained Temple. “We are going to do pumpkins and like mums flowers and gnomes for the fall. And then for Christmas we are going to something with a Christmas tree and donate the money.”
A seed of an idea that has blossomed into real help for the Community.
For Naperville News 17, I’m Justin Cornwell.
You can order a basket via email shellytemple43@gmail.com or Facebook message.
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